Vladimir Kagan Furniture
The pioneers of modern furniture design in America in the mid-20th century all had their moments of flamboyance: Charles and Ray Eames produced the startling, biomorphic La Chaise; George Nelson’s firm created the Marshmallow sofa; Edward Wormley had his decadent Listen to Me chaise. But no designer of the day steadily offered works with more verve and dynamism than Vladimir Kagan. While others, it seems, designed with suburban households in mind, Kagan aimed to suit the tastes of young, sophisticated city-dwellers. With signature designs that feature sleekly curved frames and others that have dramatic out-thrust legs, Kagan made furniture sexy.
Kagan’s father was a Russian master cabinetmaker who took his family first to Germany (where Vladimir was born) and then to New York in 1938. After studying architecture at Columbia University, Kagan opened a design firm at age 22 and immediately made a splash with his long, low and sinuous Serpentine sofa. Furniture lines such as the Tri-symmetric group of glass-topped, three-legged tables and the vivacious Contours chairs soon followed.
Kagan’s choices of form and materials evolved through subsequent decades, embracing lucite, aluminum and burl-wood veneers. By the late 1960s, Kagan was designing austere, asymmetrical cabinets and his Omnibus group of modular sofas and chairs. For all his aesthetic élan, Kagan said that throughout his career, his touchstone was comfort. “A lot of modern furniture was not comfortable. And so comfort is: form follows function. The function was to make it comfortable,” he once commented. “I created what I called vessels for the human body.”
A diverse group of bodies have made themselves at home with Kagan designs. Among the famous names who commissioned and collected his designs are Marilyn Monroe, Gary Cooper, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, and firms such as Gucci and Giorgio Armani. His work is in numerous museum collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Because of its idiosyncrasy, Kagan’s work did not lend itself to mass-production. Kagan never signed on with any of the major furniture-making corporations, and examples of his designs are relatively rare. As you will see from the offerings on 1stDibs, even decades after their conception, Kagan pieces still command the eye, with their freshness, energy, sensuality and wit.
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Chenille, Wood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Lacquer
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Mahogany, Lacquer
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Stainless Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Metal
20th Century Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Mohair, Lucite
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ultrasuede
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Ebony
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Wood
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
Early 2000s American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Glass, Maple
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Lucite
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Aluminum
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Chrome
1970s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Acrylic, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Lucite, Plexiglass, Zebra Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Steel, Chrome
20th Century North American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Lucite, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ultrasuede, Lucite
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
21st Century and Contemporary American Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
1970s Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Ultrasuede
Late 20th Century American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
2010s American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ultrasuede
1950s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Aluminum
1950s American Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Ceramic, Oak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Fabric, Lucite, Wood, Ultrasuede
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Hide, Alpaca, Walnut
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Stainless Steel
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Alpaca, Upholstery, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Lucite
1970s American Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Wool, Alpaca, Cotton
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Furniture
Upholstery, Bouclé