In 1945, Kahn graduated from the High School of Music & Art in New York before serving in the Navy. After his service, he studied under the renowned Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann, using the GI Bill to pursue his artistic education. He eventually became Hofmann’s studio assistant. Kahn then enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in just one year, graduating in 1951. Determined to become a professional artist, Kahn, along with other former Hofmann students, co founded the Hansa Gallery, where he held his first solo exhibition. In 1956, he joined the Grace Borgenicht Gallery, exhibiting there regularly until 1995. Throughout his career, Kahn earned numerous accolades, including a Fulbright Scholarship, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and an Award in Art from the Academy of Arts and Letters.