Kahn was born in 1894 in Bruchsal, Germany. He served in the German army in 1914, then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe between 1919-1920 under the tutelage of Albert Hueinsen. Kahn travelled to Berlin (where he met and befriended Max Liebermann), Holland, and France in search of artistic inspiration. In 1926, he was commissioned for the decoration of an important synagogue in Bruchsal.[1] Kahn exhibited in Karlsruhe, Munich, Ulm, Zurich, and Paris. In 1928, Kahn lived in the south of France where he befriended the important Fauve artist André Derain. He then moved to Paris where he maintained a studio until 1934.
Kahn emigrated to Israel in 1936, settled in Ramat Gan and founded Israel's first textile printing factory.[2]
Siegel, Linda. Kaleidoscope: From Auschwitz to Art Connoisseur: The Story of the David Malek Collection (Featuring the Paintings of Leo Kahn, Samuel Tepler & Piero Cividalli) [exhibition catalogue]. Oak Park, CA: Elra Press, 2001.