Arthur Bennett Kouwenhoven Jr. passed away peacefully on August 25, 2025, at the age of 88. Born on October 4, 1936, in Brooklyn, he was the beloved son of Arthur Bennett Kouwenhoven and Florence Bartholomew. In the 1940s, the family moved to Short Hills, N.J., and Arthur later attended Wittenberg University, Columbia University, and the Parsons School of Design.

Arthur built a remarkable career in design, beginning at Jansen Inc., the New York affiliate of the legendary Maison Jansen in Paris. Among his many projects was the redesign of the Kennedy White House. In the late 1960s, he co-founded the design firm Bennett-Portago before launching his own practice. Known for his refined artistry and attention to detail, Arthur brought sophistication and grace to every project. He believed that art, objects, and furniture should exist in conversation with one another—and famously insisted that no chair should ever sit flat against a wall.

Arthur was equally passionate as a supporter and collector of contemporary art. He was deeply engaged in New York’s East Village art scene from the 1960s through the 1980s, and he cultivated friendships across generations and backgrounds—artists, students, and socialites alike. 

He surrounded himself with those who amused, challenged, and inspired him, and in turn, he was a loyal and generous friend, always eager to share his knowledge, resources, and support. In the 1970s, Arthur began dividing his time between New York and Savannah, where he purchased a historic home on East State Street. That move began a decades-long love-hate relationship with the city, where he championed countless artists, advised institutions, and gifted significant works to museums including Telfair Museums, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York, and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Nine of his own intricate abstract drawings are part of the permanent collection at the Georgia Museum of Art.

Arthur’s creativity extended beyond design and collecting into his own artwork—dense, intricate drawings with a unique internal logic. His restless curiosity and generous spirit were evident even in his final months, as he continued to explore ways to support artists and negotiate significant gifts of art to museums.

Arthur was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Peter Kouwenhoven. He is survived by devoted friends who supported him in his final months: Casey Belogorska, Betsy Cain, Travis Cormack, Bill Dawers, James Harrison, Mark Minoff, and Ava Pandiani. 

Arthur will be remembered as a man of refined taste, creativity, and generosity—someone whose artistry and friendship left an indelible mark on all who knew him.

A celebration of Arthur's life will be held at Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors, Hodgson Chapel, 6:00 p.m., Saturday, September 13, 2025. 

Burial will be in Brooklyn, New York.