Anyone heard of Roe Kaisan? (2023 Update)

[caroline]

Hello,

I am looking for anyone who has heard of Roe Kasian - a Korean born Furniture designer and Decorator who produced collections for Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales, Lane Furniture (to name a few) and received a lot of attention and press for his art in the 70's and 80's. Roe came to America with no experience in furniture making or design and worked his way up to become a highly praised and sought after designer and artist.

If any one has anything to say about:

1. Roe Kasian or Korean/Oriental Lacquer furniture making OR
2. being Korean in America during the post Korean war, Vietnam war or post Vietnam war atmosphere of the late 60's and early 70's

PLEASE contact me at cooney_caroline @hotmail.com or [e-mail]

- I need a couple of outside quotes for a profile I am doing on Roe and my deadline is tomorrow morning. ANY help would be much appreciated!!

Thank you! Caroline

[z]

Just saw this. What is your interest in him, if you could tell me.

[Sonny]

Original post on HH was 15 yrs ago. I doubt the name, Roe Kaisan, is correct, anyway. It's not a typical Korean name or spelling.... probably the reason no info is readily found.

Caroline should have contacted those companies "Roe" had worked for, ask them for direct info. .... or of the press coverage, maybe?

[J. Clarke]

FWIW, "Roe Kasian" gets 338,000 hits on Google--mostly related to products designed by a person described as "Korean-American". There was also a company in New Jersey registered from 2003 through 2008, and currently inactive. There was also a full-page ad for Roe Kasian in the June, 1981 "Architectural Digest". Another common hit is a "Congressional Serial Set" which shows that a couple of guys from the same unit were in a Veterans Home in 1905, one named "Roe" and the other "Kasian"--whether there's any connection there I have no idea.

[hubops]

google image search gives a pretty quick idea :

same image search also turns up a person who worked there :

John T.

[Spalted Walt]

Quotation marks are your friend when doing this type of Google search:

"Roe+Kasian"> = ~497 results - VS - = ~343,000 results

HTH

[Spalted Walt]

( Correct URL ;)

= ~497 results

[Sonny]

I suppose my computer didn't correct the spelling. Kaison vs Kasian. Caroline spelled it correctly. Z didn't and neither did I when searching.

Sonny

[Justina Tucson]

He had a studio a block north of 86 street in the same building as Peter Guertler who was a famous high end paint specialist in wall lacquer. He since died, but was married to a Mary Guertler. The studio was active in the early 1970's and Roe was married by then. His Korean name was Roe Kung Kwack and he went to college in Tampa, Florida. He seems to have disappeared by 1980's. He may have returned to Korean where his brother and mother lived in Seoul.