Vladimir Kagan

Vladimir Kagan (* 1927 in Worms) is a living in New York City designer of furniture.

He was born 1927 in Worms and fled the U.S. in 1938. In his youth he occupied himself mainly with painting and sculpture. He began studying architecture at Columbia University, in 1944 but joined his father's company to Illi Kagan, who owned a carpentry shop. So he learned to build furniture. In 1949 he opened his first store in New York.

1947 and 1948 he designed the cocktail lounges for the first UN headquarters in Lake Success.

In Freiburg im Breisgau Kagan furnished in 68 meters height in the upper floors of the station tower, a restaurant and a club lounge, which were named after him.

His furniture pieces are exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world. In Germany, among others, the Vitra Design Museum and in the new collection. His private collectors include personalities such as Barbara Jacobson from the Museum of Modern Art, director David Lynch, actor Dan Aykroyd, his fellow-artist Andy Warhol or Frank Sinatra. Even some well-known fashion designers such as Tom Ford, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani collect pieces of Vladimir Kagan.

He has lectured at New York's Parsons School of Design on the history of architecture and furniture design.

From 1990 to 1992, Kagan President of the American Society of Interior Designers ( ASID )

In 2004 he published his autobiography.

Vladimir Kagan is married to Erica Wilson. Together they have three children and commute between their homes in New York and Nantucket

Prices (excerpt)

• 2000 by the A.S.I.D. for his life's work
• 2002 by the Brooklyn Museum for his life's work
• 2004 nominated for the National Design Award and the Environmental Design Award
• 2009 Interior Design Hall of Fame Award