About this artwork
Described in the 1950s as “one of the leading designers of our day,” Vladimir Kagan found inspiration in both modern and traditional forms, from avant-garde European paintings to Russian folk art. For this table, Kagan’s muse was Constantin Brancusi’s sculpture Bird in Space, whose subtle, tapering curves inspired the spectacular base, a design that Kagan described as one of his favorites. While the pointed thrust of the table evokes the aerodynamics of the nascent space age, the tabletop owes a debt to the undulating, biomorphic shapes of Surrealism. Despite these cutting-edge associations, the table also represents a departure from the machine aesthetic of earlier decades and a return to handcrafting: with his business partner, Hugo Dreyfuss, Kagan designed all his furnishings, which were custom-made under the supervision of his father, Illi, a trained cabinetmaker.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Architecture and Design
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Artist
- Vladimir Kagan
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Title
- Free Form Occasional Table
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Place
- United States (Object made in)
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Date
- 1952–1962
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Medium
- Walnut and brass
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Dimensions
- 55.9 × 78.7 × 55.9 cm (22 × 31 × 22 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Orbit Fund
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Reference Number
- 2009.232
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.