Vladimir Kagan Seating
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.
Late 20th Century American Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Velvet, Lucite, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Hardwood, Velvet
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Textile
1980s Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Mohair, Foam
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Lucite
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Bouclé, Upholstery, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Lucite
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Ultrasuede
Late 20th Century American Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Leather, Fabric, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Lucite
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Brass
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1990s Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Mohair, Upholstery
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Lucite
Early 2000s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Mohair, Upholstery
1960s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé, Wood
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé, Upholstery
1980s Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Chrome
1980s American Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
1950s Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric
Early 2000s French Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Upholstery
1980s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Velvet, Lucite
1980s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Wood
1970s Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Metal, Chrome
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Lacquer
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Hardwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Cotton, Velvet
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Suede
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Cotton, Velvet
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé, Upholstery
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Metal
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery
1990s American Post-Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Bouclé, Upholstery
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Upholstery, Lucite
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric
1980s American Vintage Vladimir Kagan Seating
Fabric, Lucite