Orlando arts mover and Snap curator Patrick Kahn passes away after lengthy battle with cancer

Orlando arts mover and Snap! Gallery curator Patrick Kahn passed away last week after a lengthy battle against a rare form of cancer. To say he will be missed in Orlando’s arts world — and well beyond — is an understatement.

Kahn co-ran Snap! with partner Holly Kahn with a steady hand for the entire 15-year run — ending late last year — first as an annual pop-up, then renovating the historic Cameo Theatre in Mills 50, and finally moving downtown. The gallery had a big-city vibe, putting on all manner of photographic and otherwise exhibitions, often paired with rollicking parties.

What Patrick Kahn achieved with his Snap! galleries is akin to other regional impresarios like Irving Blum, when he ushered in L.A. as an arts mecca with Ferus Gallery. Kahn, along with his wife and the Snap! organization as a whole, raised the bar by bringing together some of the world’s best and brightest artistic voices along with homegrown talents under one roof. The results were as consistently exciting, just as the work was always bold and often breathtaking.

“Patrick Kahn played a big role in growing Orlando’s arts and cultural scene,” remembered Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in a social media post. “His creativity, passion and kindness were incredibly impactful. Our community is sending its support to his family and friends at this difficult time.”

A Snap! opening was a social event of the highest order. Sights, sounds and drink delighted the throngs of discerning spectators, local creative cognoscenti and collectors. Sometimes the featured artists’ names weren’t on a household level (yet), but the images always were. It says something that many prominent artists who exhibited with Snap! were blown away by the level of presentation and execution at the gallery. A sampling of Snap! highlights over the years includes Florida Showcase, Eyewitness and City Unseen.

“Patrick, you were and always will be the light in any room you fill. You chose to live this life in all its preciousness, always creating, always exploring, effortlessly cool, always one step ahead of the curve. Being your life’s partner has been the greatest gift. You lived every day to the fullest with your larger than life, genuine energy to be in the moment, soaking up all the magic this world has to offer,” wrote Holly Kahn in a statement shared to social media.

“I am very sad to have lost another friend. Orlando has lost another friend. Patrick Kahn was a unique, kind, compassionate and wonderful soul,” remembered adventurous Orlando artist Doug Rhodehamel on social media. “He had a vision. He worked hard and was dedicated to everything he did. He brought so much energy and joy to people’s lives. He made you feel classy even if you weren’t.”

Orlando Weekly editor Jessica Bryce Young wrote about Snap many times over the life of the gallery. In 2015, she awarded Snap! a Best of Orlando Writer’s Pick for “Best Arts Promoters Giving Art Basel a Run for Its Money,” saying, “Patrick’s eye for the avant-garde and superb showmanship is making Orlando the talk of Florida, and stealing a bit of thunder from that other art scene down south.”

Patrick Kahn was the type of impresario and cultural signal-booster that any city is lucky to have. Lucky for us, he chose to make Orlando his home. Kahn’s passion for the arts was front and center without an air of pretension, he was the real deal and had the eyes, ears and soul to spot great work. His place in the arts world of Orlando’s evolution is without doubt.

Hats off to Patrick Kahn. Thank you for everything.

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This article appears in The 420 Issue 2025.