Scott Kahn, 80, Opens 'Silent Night' at David Zwirner After Decades of Obscurity
Scott Kahn, an 80-year-old artist, is set to unveil his solo exhibition titled "Silent Night" at David Zwirner in New York, which will be accessible until October 17. The showcase includes pieces created from 2000 onwards, featuring 2026 canvases priced between $350,000 and $1 million, alongside editioned prints ranging from $5,000 to $12,000. This marks Kahn's second collaboration with Zwirner, following a 2024 exhibition in Hong Kong. His recent success is attributed to the surge in the art market during the pandemic and the backing of the late Matthew Wong, who passed away in 2019. Kahn's highest auction price reached HK$11.25 million ($1.4 million) for "Big House, Homage to America" (2012). Together with his husband, Frederick Kirwin, he founded the Kahn-Kirwin Foundation to aid emerging artists.
Key facts
- Scott Kahn's solo exhibition "Silent Night" is on view at David Zwirner in New York through October 17.
- Paintings are priced between $350,000 and $1 million; editioned prints range from $5,000 to $12,000.
- Kahn's auction record is HK$11.25 million ($1.4 million), set at Christie's Hong Kong in May 2022 for "Big House, Homage to America" (2012).
- In the last five years, 127 works by Kahn were offered at auction, totaling nearly $23 million with an 80 percent sell-through rate.
- Matthew Wong bought a Kahn painting in 2018 and posted it on Instagram, citing Kahn as an influence, which led to renewed art world attention.
- Kahn studied under Theodoros Stamos at the Art Students League of New York and earned an MFA from Rutgers University in 1970.
- A lawsuit by Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz against Kahn was dismissed with prejudice in March 2025.
- Kahn and his husband, Frederick Kirwin, established the Kahn-Kirwin Foundation to support emerging artists and writers.
Entities
Artists
- Scott Kahn
- Matthew Wong
- Theodoros Stamos
- Mark Rothko
- Lee Krasner
- Frederick Kirwin
- Edward Albee
- Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz
- Sarah Cascone
- Chase Barnes
- Carroll Dunham
- Jacqueline Gourevitch
- Naomi Klein
- Astra Taylor
Institutions
- David Zwirner
- Almine Rech
- Christie's Hong Kong
- Art Students League of New York
- Rutgers University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery
- Pollock-Krasner Foundation
- Karma gallery
- Phillips Hong Kong
- Kahn-Kirwin Foundation
- CULTURED
- Artnet Price Database
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Hong Kong
- China
- Springfield
- Massachusetts
- New Rochelle
- Dumbo
- Edmonton
- Canada
- Sarasota
- Florida
- West Village