Anne Kahane (born March 1, 1924) is an Austrian-born Canadian artist. Best known for her figures carved in wood, Kahane began her career as a printmaker and commercial artist. In addition to her work as a sculptor using wood, brass, and aluminum, Kahane's artistic repertoire also included drawing and printmaking.

Early life

Kahane was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

on March 1, 1924. In 1925, she and her family moved to Canada, and settled in Montreal. In Montreal, Kahane attended high school at

Strathcona Academy Strathcona is a 19th-century variation of "Glen Coe", a river valley in Scotland. The word was invented for use in the title Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, first used for Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, Donald Smith, a Canadi ...

where no art course was taught. The absence of these studies influenced her to seek extra-curricular activities related to art. Upon enrolling in night classes at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Montreal (1940), she furthered her studies in traditional sculpture, commercial art, industrial design, and architecture. In the fall of 1942 Kahane began training as a commercial artist at Valentine's School of Commercial Art. She was part of a 2-year intensive program while also working at a commercial engraver's studio. Kahane lived with her mother, using the home of her friends as studio space, and obtained planks of wood for her art from the local lumberyard. In 1945 she went to New York to study at the Cooper Union Art School. It was there that she discovered the art of

woodcarving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

, the technique that would later shape her career.

Career

In 1953, Kahane's maquette for ''The Unknown Political Prisoner Monument'' was the only Canadian entry to take a prize in the international sculpture competition organized by the Institute of Contemporary Arts of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In the same year, Kahane had her first solo exhibition at the Galérie

Agnès Lefort Marie-Agnès Lefort (January 5, 1891 – February 9, 1973) was a Canadian artist, educator and gallery owner living in Quebec. She was born in Saint-Rémi and was educated by the Ursulines at Trois-Rivières. She went on to study art at the M ...

. She received no financial prize from her London competition, but as a result, in 1952, was asked to join the

Sculptors Society of Canada The Sculptors Society of Canada (SSC) promotes and exhibits contemporary Canadian sculpture. Founded by Canadian sculptors Frances Loring, Florence Wyle, Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Wood's teacher and husband Emanuel Hahn, Henri Hébert and Alfred Laliber ...

. At the 1956 Concours Artistique de la province au Quebec, Kahane won the grand prize for her work ''Ball Game''. As an associate member of the

Royal Canadian Academy The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

, Kahane exhibited with them between 1964 and 1976, and with the Art Association of Montreal from 1957 to 1965. Kahane'S work was internationally celebrated, representing Canada with

James Wilson Morrice James Wilson Morrice (August 10, 1865 – January 23, 1924) was one of the first Canadian landscape painters to be known internationally. He studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, France, where he lived for most of his career. James Morrice S ...

Jacques de Tonnancour Jacques Godefroy de Tonnancour, LL. D. (3 January 1917 – 13 January 2005) was a Canadian artist and art educator from Montreal, Quebec. Life and work Jacques Godefroy de Tonnancour was born on 3 January 1917 in Montreal, Quebec. He studied a ...

, and Jack Nichols at the Canadian Pavilion at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

(1958), at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

in Montreal and at the Brussels World's Fair (1968). She received public and private commissions, notably her sculpture for the Winnipeg airport (1963) and a piece for Montreal's

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

(1963–1964). She taught fine arts at

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

from 1965 to 1980. Later, as a resident sculptor, she taught at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

in Hamilton (1980–1982), where she explored flat structural techniques using flexible materials to depart from traditional three-dimensional structures.

Selected exhibitions

* ''Sculpture by Anne Kahane'', Galerie Agnès Lefort, Montreal, 1953 * ''International Sculpture Competition 'The Unknown Political Prisoner, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1952. * ''XXIX Biennale D'Arte'', Canadian Pavilion Venice, Italy, 1958 * ''41st Pittsburgh International Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture''. Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1958–1959 * ''A Trio of Canadian Sculptors'', National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1964–1966 * ''Royal Canadian Academy 84th Exhibition'', National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1964 and 1976 * ''300 Years of Canadian Art'', National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1967 * ''3-D into the 70s: Aspects of Sculpture'', Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto,1970 * ''Spectrum Canada'', held in conjunction with the Montreal Olympics, 1979 * ''Artists Drawn to Wood'',

McMaster Museum of Art The McMaster Museum of Art (MMA) is a non-profit public art gallery at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The museum is located in the centre of the campus, attached to Mills Memorial Library and close to the McMaster University Student Cen ...

, 2011

Public artworks

*''Mother and Child'' (1959) for Montreal's Rockland Plaza. *''Captain F.J. Stevenson'' for the Winnipeg International Airport (1963–1964) *''Chant de la Terre'' for Place des Arts in Montreal (1963) *''Man on His Head'' for Expo '67 in Montreal *''La Mer'' for the Canadian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan (1972–1973) *''The Forest'' for Environment Canada Forestry Service, Great Lakes Forest Research Centre (GLFRC), Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (1975) for the official opening of the GLFRC, 25 April-1 May 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahane, Anne 1924 births Living people 20th-century Canadian printmakers Artists from Vienna Austrian emigrants to Canada Canadian women artists Canadian woodcarvers Women woodworkers