Renee L Kahn

Renee L. Kahn, 80, of Charleston, South Carolina, beloved wife of Dr. Sewell Kahn, passed away on Sunday, September 14, 2025, from complications of pancreatic cancer. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 90 Hasell Street, Charleston. Arrangements are by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.

Renee was born on June 5, 1945, in New York City to Andre Abend and Edith Rosenberg Abend. From an early age, she was drawn to art, beginning her formal training at the Art Students League of New York at just 12 years old. She went on to attend the High School of Music and Art, graduated cum laude from the City College of New York in 1967 with a degree in Art and minors in Art History and Comparative Literature, and earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University in 1969.

Before moving to Charleston in 2000, Renee lived in Providence, Rhode Island, where she exhibited and taught art and art history. Over the past 25 years, her vibrant and expressive paintings have been shown locally, nationally, and internationally - including in Canada, Israel, and China.

Renee participated for many years in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Juried Contemporary Art Exhibition and exhibited in numerous Charleston galleries, including the Ellis Nicholson Gallery, the City Gallery, and the American Originals Gallery. Her artwork has appeared in several publications, including Transparent Watercolor by Inessa Derkatsch, Revealing World Religions by Cynthia Eller, and a lexicon of Jewish artists by Hedwig Brenner. She was a Nautilus member of the International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA) and a signature member of both the South Carolina Watermedia Society and the Acrylic Painters of America. Renee also founded the Charleston Professional Artists Association, a group that met regularly for critiques, discussions, and artistic development.

In addition to her life as an artist, Renee served as a TEDx Charleston coach for nine years, beginning in 2016. She loved learning, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, and she inspired countless people with her creative spirit and generosity.

Renee is survived by her devoted husband of 54 years, Sewell; their children, Justine Kahn and Joshua Kahn; her daughter-in-law, Rachel Berry; and her two beloved grandchildren, Willa and Eli Kahnberry.

Memorial donations may be made to: Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE); TEDx Charleston, https://tedxcharleston.org; International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA), https://www.iseaartexhibit.org/Donate