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Object Timeline

1950

  • Work on this object began.

1970

  • Work on this object ended.

1991

  • We acquired this object.

2001

2013

2015

2024

  • You found it!

Unicorn Chair

This is a chair. It was designed by Vladimir Kagan and manufactured by Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc.. It is dated 1960 and we acquired it in 1991. Its medium is molded polyfoam, cast aluminum, wool upholstery. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

Vladimir Kagan mixes a modern aesthetic with a craft practice to produce his furniture. The son of a cabinetmaker, Kagan’s style — natural materials crafted into fluid forms — could be described as a “biomorphic modernism.” His Unicorn chair has a futuristic quality to it; the base makes a departure from ordinary chairs by omitting traditional “legs.” Instead, the V-shaped polished aluminum pedestal is juxtaposed against the woven wool upholstery of the seat and back.

This object was donated by Vladimir Kagan. It is credited Gift of Vladimir Kagan.

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 84 x 65 x 85 cm (33 1/16 x 25 9/16 x 33 7/16 in.)

Cite this object as

Unicorn Chair; Designed by Vladimir Kagan (American, b. Germany, 1927 - 2016); Manufactured by Vladimir Kagan Designs, Inc.; USA; molded polyfoam, cast aluminum, wool upholstery; H x W x D: 84 x 65 x 85 cm (33 1/16 x 25 9/16 x 33 7/16 in.); Gift of Vladimir Kagan; 1991-163-1

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18635987/ |title=Unicorn Chair |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=18 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>