Vladimir Kagan Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
American, German, 1927-2016
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.
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Creator: Vladimir Kagan
Vladimir Kagan Rare "Luxus Executive Chair" with Lucite Arms 1970s (Signed)
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in New York, NY
Rare high back "Luxus Executive Chair" model 7016 with molded lucite arms and tufted butterscotch leather with tilt antique bronze base by Vladimir Kagan, American 1970's (signed “Ha...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Bronze
Vladimir Kagan Desk Chair
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in New York, NY
Executive Desk Chair by Vladimir Kagan. Fabric, chromed metal. High back swivel desk chair with tilt and casters. A great model. 2nd matching chair is available.
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Vladimir Kagan Leather Ribbed Style Upholstery Heavy Stainless Base Desk Chair
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Rare Vladimir Kagan Leather Ribbed Style Upholstery Heavy Stainless Base Desk Chair MINT!
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Stainless Steel, Chrome
Vladimir Kagan Leather and Mohair Executive Desk Chair, circa 1979, Signed
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This gorgeous leather, mohair and brass executive desk chair by Vladimir Kagan for Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc is a rare authentic signed example with its original label underneath the chair seat, designed in the 1970s and this example crafted in Kagan's workshop in circa 1979.
Featuring a telescoping 4" range of height adjustment and tilt adjust features, curvaceous contoured leather and tufted mohair seat and back, one of Kagan's hallmark design features is that curvy sensuous back that resembles the soft waves of water, 5-star brass height and tilt adjustable base with brass topped casters, and brass cubist arms with matching dusty rose pink leather cylindrical padded arm wrests.
This rare collectors piece is ideal for both the consummate collector and the interior designer who has the most demanding of clients. If you want something special that your neighbors and friends don't have - or if you are a discerning collector of Vladimir Kagan's designs and shopping for an office or desk chair, this is one item you should scoop up before it is sold and no longer available.
This elegant Vladimir Kagan Executive Desk...
Category
1970s American Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Materials
Brass
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1 Ward Bennett Oak Mohair Bankers Executive Chair Bronze Base
By Ward Bennett
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Matinee Chair by Vladimir Kagan for American Leather
By Vladimir Kagan, American Leather
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c. 2000s. Reupholstered in orange/grey nubby wool boucle. Removable armrests and backrest. Made in USA.
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Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia "Ondo" Executive Leather 1970s Desk Chair
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H 35 in W 29.5 in D 29.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Chrome Desk Chair with Woven Upholstery, c. 1970's
By Milo Baughman
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
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Previously Available Items
Vladimir Kagan Rare "Lotus Desk Chair" in Molded Lucite 1970s
By Vladimir Kagan
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Vladimir Kagan Desk Chair in Shearling for Kagan-Dreyfuss, circa 1950s
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Vladimir Kagan Sculpted Lucite Leather & Chrome Executive Desk Chair, circa 1970
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1960s Swiveling Desk Chair by Vladimir Kagan
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An elegant swiveling and adjustable office desk chair having a distinctively shaped seat floating above a sculptural cruciform carved walnut bas...
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Vladimir Kagan Executive Desk Chair
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Chicago, IL
Kagan-Dreyfuss, New York, high back Executive desk chair.
Tilts and swivels.
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Highest dimensions shown can b...
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Swiveling Armchair by Vladimir Kagan
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Sagaponack, NY
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Sculptural Chair by Vladimir Kagan
By Vladimir Kagan
Located in Dallas, TX
A sculptural walnut desk chair designed by Vladimir Kagan.
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Vladimir Kagan office chairs and desk chairs for sale on 1stDibs.
Vladimir Kagan office chairs and desk chairs are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Vladimir Kagan office chairs and desk chairs, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original office chairs and desk chairs by Vladimir Kagan were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider office chairs and desk chairs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Roger Sprunger, and Nicos Zographos. Prices for Vladimir Kagan office chairs and desk chairs can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $7,280 and can go as high as $12,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $8,000.