Kagie (also: Jan Kagie jr.) was a son of Johannes Leonardus Kagie (1885-1960). He learned the first principles of painting from his father, but was otherwise self-taught. In 1937 he moved to Rolde. He came into contact with the painters of the artists' collective De Ploeg. Together with a number of colleagues from Drenthe, including Reinhart Dozy, Anton Heyboer and Hein Kray, he founded the art group De Drentse Schilders in 1946. In 1948 he travelled with Heyboer through France. The following year he settled in Amsterdam, where he lived until his death.
Kagie painted mainly figurative, landscapes, interiors and still lifes, but his work became more abstract after he settled in Amsterdam. He was a member of the Beroepsvereniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars en Arti et Amicitiae and was awarded the Arti Medal in 1984.
