Vladimir Kagan's Blog

A fortnight in Europe 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, October 25, 2014

 

 

The ubiquitous water fountain on Lake Geneva

I love to travel -- hate to fly … but fly I must. To make it more tolerable and assure that I arrive in one piece: luggage, computers, electronic paraphernalia and far, far too much clothing…I need a keeper… This makes it a perks for my kids … how often do you get to bond with your adult children for a fortnight?

 

Jessica and me at the vernissage

This time the lucky straw was drawn by Jessica. Of my three children, she’s the most fun loving and adventuresome, She’s imbued with joie de vivre. No grass grows under her feet. It’s a 24/7 adventure. “Oh Daddy, can’t we do this – go there – buy that??? She inherited her mother’s philosophy: “You can agree with me or you can be wrong!” The formula for happiness with Jessica is simply say YES. With that admonition we packed in a month of travel into ten days.

 

First stop: Geneva

A visit with my sister Tanya for her art show to celebrate the memory of her departed daughter Cathy, who died after a prolonged bout with cancer. The show was a gem. Tanya is an amazing artist; she has a sturdy hand, bold use of color and a wicked sense of humor.

 

Tanya Josefowitz's art show

 

 

The invitation to Tanya's vernissage opening of her show in Geneva's old town

Tanya's portrait of Cathy

         

Dinner with my sister Tanya, after the show

Visiting with Tanya is a continuous food orgy. She loves to cook; she loves to eat; she loves to entertain. Between meals we promised each other to go on a diet... Ha, ha!

A small dinner party at Tanya's house - there were fourteen at the table - some had gotten up when I took this photo

++++

 

 A visit to to the Marche au Puce

Jessica does not stand still - Our first outing was to the Marche au Puce. I am obliged to keep up with her. It’s “swim or perish” as she bravely pushes me in a wheelchair. I could have done the show in ten minutes and see nothing that I need or want… Jessica managed to spend three hours and brought home two shopping bags full of “must have – can’t live without” stuff…. This was our warm-up session for saving Europe’s sagging economy.

Where I could find nothing, Jessica found treasures

Some of Jessica's treasures - found in the first five minutes of our stroll

   

The Marche is full of weirdos... I forgot to photograph them all... here is one chomping on a join

 

Second stop: Gstaad

The weather turned from a drizzly fall week into an unexpected sunny summer weekend. The lure of the mountains was irresistible. We extracted ourselves from Tanya’s culinary temptations and drove to Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland. You know how much I adore the mountains and Jessica does too. In two days we packed in a week of eating Fondues, fresh baked croissants, meringue with “berg rahm” and hot chocolate.

 

The route out of Lausanne is breathtaking, driving high above Lake Geneva

 Even the rest stops are magnificent where we stopped for lunch..."A selfie" 

 

...And finally up the twisting mountain road over the Mt. Diablore pass, the highest peak in the region.

 

My feeble attempt at landscape sketching

 

 

Enjoying a hot chocolate with meringue and “berg rahm” at Early Beck, the best bake shop in the area

Paragliding, the big sport in Switzerland - soaring free as a bird

 

Next Paris

On Sunday, we reluctantly drove to Geneva and caught the TGV to Paris arriving in time for a mid-night snack and off to bed… The next morning there was serious shopping to be done by Jessica … (She manages to ferret out every thrift shop in town, no matter how small or hidden) while I met with Julien Lombard, the creative director and co-owner of the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, who are planning an exhibit of my latest designs: Art-furniture cast in bronze and aluminum  combined with luxurious fabrics and precious woods. … How I wish that I could show you my sketches… but I must keep them under wraps to surprise you next September.

  

Jessica with Julien Lombard enjoying lunch at the famous Cafe Benoit

 

Beautiful Paris architecture

 Julien Lombard and his family in the Carpenters Workshop Gallery's warehouse

While in Paris, a friend sent me this clipping announcing that I am Wallpapers choice of 100 Best Designers In The World


 

Return to Geneva

As you can see, Jessica and I travel light for a two-day visit to Paris! (the big black bag is my portable wheel chair)

There was still shopping to be one in Geneva… the Marche is open Wednesday as well as the weekend. As there were stands not yet visited, Jessica managed a return visit and still met me on time for a luncheon given by one of my glamorous clients… impeccably served by a white-gloved butler.

 

That night we packed our purchases and twice as much clothing than we arrived with… Early next morning we headed for the airport and flight home.

 

Back in New York

 

Our reentry into the real world is best described in one word: “Yuk”

...… And we were hardly missed!

  

Note: many of the best photos in this blog posting were taken by my daughter Jessica 

Vladimir Kagan Celebrates the end of summer

Just an Ordinary Summer on Nantucket

part 3

final installment

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, October 12, 2014

(posted from Geneva Switzerland)

  

PARTIES ON NANTUCKET

Vladi the party giver

 

This summer I hosted over a dozen dinner parties and entertained 100 guests mostly to uproarious chili dinners - al fresco in my garden. However, to celebrate my 87^th birthday I gave a sedate sit-down for twenty of my nearest, dearest and oldest friends, mostly octogenarians like myself, some of us hobbling on sticks, canes and crutches. A sumptuous filet mignon dinner was prepared by my clever, culinary daughter, Jessica, who drove up from Connecticut to wish me a Happy Birthday…thanks Jess!

One of the many dinner parties I hosted in my kitchen this summer

Bob and Ingrid Grueter, my old ski friends visiting from Aspen together with Lee Bordes another Aspen skier and myself - we've all skied together for over forty years

After their final recording session, the entire Coq Au Vin Band came for a Chili dinner: back row is Caleb Cressman the band's leader, Andy Harris the fabulous trumpeter, foreground Gordon Gund, Joanna Hay the violinist, Marjan Shirzad from the Whaling Museum, Lindsay, Caleb's wife and Anne Gund 

 

No room for the high and mighty - everyone in my house pitches in. Here is the world-renown art appraiser, Ellen Lake-Ewald and me shucking corm for twenty guests

The three musketeers, Jeff, Reed and Steven  flew up to 'Tucket for some fishing but first stopped to visit me for the BEST martinis on the Island - Vladi-tinis!

 

 setting up for an intimate Fondu Bouginion party

The party grew and grew until finally ten forks were being dipped into the communal fondu pot

Here are two of the bevy of beauties that usually gather in my kitchen: Tina on the left, my Serbian housekeeper with my friend Amy Lau, New York's hottest interior designer

 

After dinner entertainment in the living room with Australian virtuoso musician, Hugh McDonald Playing his guitar and Me tootling along on my accordion

The perks of being a party giver - you get to kiss all the girls!

The Nantucket Double Dip is not a dance… it is a typical Nantucket social weekend with two or more parties to attend. My most audacious Dip was a party I hosted, with my guests invited to arrive at 7 pm. I managed to escape with three lovely ladies, my houseguests for the weekend, to attend another party… just before my guests were scheduled to arrive. By the time we returned, my party was in full swing…we were hardly missed! Over twenty friends were on hand for one of my Chili fests. In

classic Vladimir fashion, dinner was served after nine and guests hung in till after mid-night.

 

 

ILLYA KAGAN’S ANNUAL ART SHOW

Illya Kagan's annual reception at the Westmoor Club

The unofficial end to the summer is not Labor Day; it’s my son Illya Kagan’s spectacular art-show extravaganza. This is THE event of the season… He plans it annually for the last week of August to give himself time to finish the forty or more paintings he creates yearly. It is a tour de force as he paints en plein air in all seasons; rain, sunshine, nights and sometimes snow. His show has become a “le must” on Nantucket’s social calendar. Hundreds of people crowd the Westmoor Club’s huge gym for an elaborate vernissage of delectable food and a generous open bar. The show takes Illya two days to install and another two to dismantle. It is a colossal undertaking but worthwhile when you see all those red dots embellishing so many paintings…Of course I am proud of my son!

A few of the forty or more paintings at the exhibitions

The party in full swing

....And finally the annual family photo of me and the granddaughter: Gabriella, Annecy, Sophia, Ondine and Olivia... Mallory was missing as she had to work

Two generations of Kagan painters: Illya giving his daughter Ondine some pointers on painting en plein air

 

DESIGNING ON NANTUCKET

In spite of my sybaritic summer, I actually find time to draw and create new designs for a collection of limited edition art-furniture for The Ralph Pucci Galleries in America and the Carpenter’s Workshop Galleries in Paris and London. Chris Eitel, my wingman for all seasons, interprets these designs into AutoCAD to feed into our new 3D printer. This machine is a wicked, cantankerous and disobedient gadget but gives us a significant leg-up on design development…I am able to study each design in miniature and make corrections before going into full-scale prototypes.

 

From sketch to 3D modeling

My freehand sketch of a potential daybed to be cast in bronze - part of my limited edition series

Chris' computer interpretation of my design

The bench as it comes out of the 3D printer with all of the debris that supports the delicate legs while printing

The 3D print of my original design

The intricate detailing of a new chair's arm done by Chris on his computer

 

My first love is still pencil on paper and then developing the new designs in clay.... there is a hands-on pleasure lost when the computer gets involved. I wish that I could show you the full repertoire of my new designs that I have created this summer, but for obvious reasons, they must be kept under wraps until their introduction in 2015.

model making

 

 

When 3D printing becomes too complex to prepare, I still make clay model of the project. Above is proposal for a "Sea Coral" lamp

 

Lectures

On a lovely sunny afternoon, I gave an illustrated lecture to an attentive audience at Audrey Sterk's Gallery... the bottom photo is Audrey thanking me for the talk... the bear-hug was worth the effort!

 

Scrimshaw

 


And on rare occasions I still draw and do scrimshaw on an antique whale's tooth... this is a friend's house




  

It was sometimes difficult to look at a cloudless sky with temperatures in the 80s, dreaming about the beach or a sail but continue to slog away on a sketchpad…  Chris and I welcomed the rare blustery day when we could work without regrets.

 

 

......Hey, it’s been a hell of a great summer!