QCC Art Gallery Executive Director, Dr. Faustino Quintanilla, reflects on the Life of Leonard Kahan, Acclaimed African Art Collector

Published: January 17, 2025

In fall 2025, the QCC Art Gallery will unveil a major exhibit to mark the 25th Anniversary of the first opening of its African art collection, and in memory of a man who helped bring it to life, Leonard Kahan (1935-2024). The following is a conversation with Dr. Faustino Quintanilla, Executive Director of the QCC Art Gallery, about Mr. Kahan’s life as a collector, consultant, and valued friend of the Gallery for more than two decades. Mr. Kahan was also a CUNY graduate and taught art at Brooklyn College and Queens College.

Since 1966, the Gallery has been a cornerstone of the College, and the community at large presenting a dynamic range of art exhibits such as European masters drawings, Andy Warhol graphic works, Picasso as printmaker and a significant number of African art exhibitions, made possible by many notable lenders and collectors. 

Queensborough Community College (QCC): Could you tell us more about Mr. Kahan, his background and what first struck you about him?

Faustino: Aside from his knowledge and love for traditional African art, he was warm hearted, had a good sense of humor and appreciated many mediums; he was a painter himself.

QCC: When did you first meet Mr. Kahan?

Faustino: We met at a dinner party in Manhattan shortly after I joined the College. We got to talking about his background as an appraiser of African art. I was intrigued and invited him to stop by the Gallery. 

QCC: The Gallery underwent renovation in 2002 and opened two years later with the exhibit An American Odyssey (1945/1980) and in 2005 opened an exhibit featuring the new permanent African Art collection. What role did Mr. Kahan play in launching this show?

Faustino: He was a curator and primary consultant. The idea was to create a considerable collection and Library from across the African continent for visitors to enjoy but just as important the collection was and remains a resource for students and scholars in different areas of study across the board. 

QCC: African art has a broad definition today. What defines the collection at the gallery? 

Faustino: Today, African art is represented mostly in paintings and installations whereas our classical collection is represented by rare wood carvings, masks, hunting tools and pottery dating from the mid 19th century.

QCC: The gallery is also known for its extensive internship opportunities. 

Faustino: Yes. Every year we have talented, outstanding student artists participate in our internship programs from the Art & Design department’s Museum and Gallery studies, the Cultural Homestay International program and local high school partnerships. This fall, we featured City Life, a series of mixed media miniature art installations by the artist Md Saidur Rahman. 

QCC: His show might mark the beginning of a long and promising connection with the Gallery—one that is inspired by other artists who give back, like Mr. Kahan. 

Faustino: Leonard has left a great legacy of world-class traditional African Art for the community at large. A legacy that will reach beyond the campus to the New York Community and to art connoisseurs everywhere. 

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About Dr. Faustino Quintanilla

He received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy from the Monastery of Santa Maria (Burgos); in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University Lateranense (Rome); and in Liberal Arts from Wagner College, New York. Additionally, he received a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute, New York, and his Doctorate in Divinity from Ignatius University, Indianapolis.

Read more about Leonard Kahan and the QCC Art Gallery

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