Self portrait

Born in Vienna, Louis Kahan AO’s long and distinguished career spanned

most of the 20th century. Drawn to art from an early age, Kahan often

sketched portraits of his tailor father’s clients. He trained first as a

tailor and then a designer for Paul Poiret in Paris, where he

encountered the work of Picasso and Matisse. In 1939, he enlisted in the

Foreign Legion and worked for the American Red Cross, making thousands

of portraits of wounded servicemen in hospitals in North Africa.

Returning to Paris, he worked as an illustrator for Le Figaro before settling in Melbourne in 1950. Soon after he arrived the editor of Meanjin,

Clem Christesen, asked him to make a series of pen and ink portraits of

writers for the journal. This self portrait showcases Kahan’s capacity

for quick assemblage of the human face through reduced lines. The work

is lively and spontaneous, demonstrating his active mind. ‘Most of the

time is spent just thinking about it, looking at the work, the stage in

which the work is, and so drift, think and let things develop in my

mind.’

Gift of Dr Gene Sherman AM and Brian Sherman AM 2012. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Louis Kahan/Copyright Agency, 2023