Vladimir Kagan Desk Chair
About the Item
- Creator:Vladimir Kagan (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 44.5 in (113.03 cm)Width: 27.5 in (69.85 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:c. 1974
- Condition:Reupholstered. Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition. Recently reupholstered. Metal has been recently cleaned. Tilt & swivel mechanisms work very well and wheels glide smoothly.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
Vladimir Kagan
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York , NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Gio Ponti & Alberto Roselli for Arflex, Pair of "Airone" Model Office ChairsBy Alberto Rosselli Saporiti, Gio Ponti, ArflexLocated in New York, NYUpholstered form seat and back over chrome-plated and enameled steel swivel base. Manufacturers label to underside.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Vladimir Kagan Lounge ChairBy Vladimir KaganLocated in New York, NYRare Contour Lounge Chair by Vladimir Kagan. Walnut, upholstery. A classic Kagan form with sculptural walnut frame. Designed in 1953, this example produced c. 1970.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Vladimir Kagan Dining ChairsBy Vladimir KaganLocated in New York, NYSet of 8 Nexus Dining Chairs by Vladimir Kagan. Walnut, upholstery. 8 armless chairs including 2 taller chairs & 6 lower side chairs. Beautifully sculpted walnut bases. Upholstered ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Vladimir Kagan Unicorn SofaBy Vladimir KaganLocated in New York, NYCast aluminum, fabric. Model U522, fantastic sensual form and sculptural metal base. An iconic Kagan design. Provenance: Collection of the artist.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsAluminum
- Paul Laszlo ChairBy Paul LaszloLocated in New York, NYCustom designed pull-up chair by Paul Laszlo. Dark stained mahogany frame, with recessed grip detail on the back. Upholstered with wide ribbed teal fabric on seat and back.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
- Rare Pair of Swivel Lounge Chairs by Osvaldo Borsani for AbvBy Osvaldo Borsani, Arredamenti BorsaniLocated in New York, NYPainted aluminum, fabric. This model was an early precursor for what later became the P32 chair for Tecno. *Borsani created and patented a swivel mechanism where a chair automaticall...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
- Vladimir Kagan Style Swivel ChairsBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Brooklyn, NYNautilus style swivel chairs with corkscrew style body. Soft ultra suede fabric. Please confirm location NY or NJCategory
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsUltrasuede
- Vladimir Kagan Chanel Back Swivel ChairsBy Vladimir KaganLocated in West Palm Beach, USThese wonderful chairs not only swivel but they rock as well. They are very comfortable and show nicely in new ivory colored luxurious Boucle. They rest on a round plinth base bearin...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsBouclé
- Vladimir Kagan Bilbao Swivel Slipper ChairsBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Toronto, CATimeless Vladimir Kagan Bilbao swivel slipper chairs for your consideration. Iconic sculptural design, inspired by the Bilbao Guggenheim. Incre...Category
Vintage 1980s Swivel Chairs
MaterialsVelvet
- Vladimir Kagan Leather Ribbed Style Upholstery Heavy Stainless Base Desk ChairBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Rockaway, NJRare Vladimir Kagan Leather Ribbed Style Upholstery Heavy Stainless Base Desk Chair MINT!Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel, Chrome
- Sculptural "Bilbao" Swivel Chairs by Vladimir KaganBy Vladimir KaganLocated in Dallas, TXSculptural modern "Bilbao" chair set by the legendary furniture designer Vladimir Kagan. The curvaceous, flowing lines of the "Bilbao" series was inspired by Frank Gehry's Guggenheim...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Vladimir Kagan Swivel Cube Lounge Chair, 1969By Vladimir KaganLocated in Munich, DEExtremely comfortable and minimalistic lounge chair designed by Vladimir Kagan – New York Collection- for Directional is based on a ...Category
1990s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsChrome