Vladimir Kagan

Vladimir Kagan Architectural Louvered & Illuminated Room Divider w/ COA, 1967

Documentation

Certificate of Authenticity

Documentation Notes

Vladimir Kagan Design Group

Origin

United States

Period

1950-1979

Materials

walnut, brass, plexiglass

Dimensions

W.	42 in;	H.	82 in;	D.	6 in;
W.	106.68 cm;	H.	208.28 cm;	D.	15.24 cm;

Condition

Good. Normal wear consistent with age and use. Minor, natural bowing to some slats from age.

Creation Date

circa 1967

Description

An incredibly rare louvered and illuminated room divider in solid walnut floating over a cylindrical brass foot, custom-designed by Vladimir Kagan circa 1967. Six sculptural, marquise-shaped slats are angled at 45 degrees to the frame and flank the light box which houses a single 6-foot fluorescent bulb.

Authenticated by and registered with the Vladimir Kagan Design Group, this piece is offered to the collector with all corresponding documents including certificate of authenticity, company letter, related archival photos, and numbered registration plaque. While their archivists have seen similar slatted dividers that Kagan designed (see last image in this listing), they’d not seen one with an incorporated lighting element before and thus feel that this example may well be one-of-a-kind or, at the very least, from a strictly limited run.

That said, it seems that this general concept of combining lighting with room partitioning may have first been explored in practice by Kagan in 1963 when he designed the “Room for Total Living” exhibit for Chemstrand (Monsanto) at NYC’s Park Avenue Armory Show, which featured three motorized rosewood panels with built-in lighting strips identical to that of our room divider. Details and photos of this project including those panels can be read/seen in the monograph, The Complete Kagan.

This unique design exemplifies both the “decidedly architectural turn” (Kagan’s own words) the designer’s work took during the 1960s and the cutting edge sleekness we reflexively associate with his name. It’s in fine, all original condition with just the right amount of character from age and use, worthy of any important collection.

*Reference: The Complete Kagan: Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design, pg. 140, 156-7

*Note that the electrical could be updated to LEDs if the buyer so wishes, please inquire.

Styles / Movements

Mid Century, Modern

Book References

The Complete Kagan: Vladimir Kagan: A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design, pg. 140, 156-7

Incollect Reference Number

305424