Rare Works From the Collection of Vladimir Kagan Come to Auction

Freeman’s upcoming auction will highlight numerous rare works from the personal collection of Vladimir Kagan. Keeping up with the family tradition of making and repairing furniture, Kagan (American, 1927 – 2016) reluctantly got into the family business. His interest, however, was in painting and sculpture. When his father advised him to measure three times before cutting furniture, he would cut three times and never measure. Eventually, he merged his passion and profession by becoming a furniture designer. The curvy lines of Kagan furniture were inspired by shapes found in nature. A classic example, like the Unicorn Sofa from circa 1963, is available in the sale. It is made of cast aluminum with matching fabric upholstery. Apart from furniture, a highlight of the auction is a Kagan-designed Stalagmite floor lamp created in 1971. 

The sale also showcases Kagan’s taste in fine art. One of the featured lots in the category is a James Hiroshi Suzuki oil painting titled Poem in October. The color palate shows the vibrant red-orange of the fallen leaves of autumn against muted tones. It is signed and dated 1959. James Hiroshi Suzuki is a Japanese American artist who was introduced to the United States art scene in the 1950s and went on to teach at the University of California, Berkeley in 1962. Suzuki follows in the footsteps of Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman, reducing any subject to its most basic components with color and abstraction. Visit Freeman’s to find the listed items and register to place a bid.