Herb & Dorothy Vogel were seemingly a very ordinary New York couple. He was a Postal Inspector, and she was a Librarian and they married in 1962, the year after they met and they lived frugally surrounded by cats in a tiny one bed apartment in Manhattan. What makes them extraordinary is since they met they began collecting art, focusing on the newly emerging genre of conceptual works because they not only developed a passion for them, but also because they were affordable.
They had a very simple philosophy, they lived off Dorothy’s salary, and spent all of Herb’s on art …. and only bought what they could afford and would fit into their apartment. Over the years the collection grew to be over 5000 pieces from artists that went on to be major stars like Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle, Carl Andre, Roy Lichtenstein, Cindy Sherman etc etc etc and others that never quite made the big time. They developed close personal relationships with many of the artists, several who still wax lyrically on the significance of the Vogels support at the very early stages of their career.
By 1992 when their tiny rent-controlled apartment was overwhelmed with all of their art (much of it unframed and piled high under their bed) they donated it all to National Gallery of Art in Washington. But even they were incapable of handling such an enormous bequest and when it was obvious that the vast bulk of it would end up in storage, Ruth Fine the Curator came up with an ingenious plan. She and the Vogels would carefully select 50 pieces that would be donated to one chosen museum in each of the 50 States. This would mean that the work would remain in public ownership and be seen by people all over the country that may otherwise not be exposed to such cutting edge pieces.
This second documentary by Megumi Saski on the Vogels (she also made ‘Herb & Dorothy’ in 2008) follows the whole process as the work is selected, delivered and hung at the various museums. There is such sheer delight on all of the Curators faces as they describe how much this unprecedented donation means to their institution and community. It is matched by the Vogel’s own relief and happiness that their collection will not only live on but will now be enjoyed by so many people.
Both Vogels are frail as they trail around the country (in fact Herb wheelchair bound, died in 2012) but their resolute spirit is un-diminished as is their commitment to the art and the artists. Herb had initially been reluctant to ‘break the collection up’ as some of the artists were too, but seeing the crowds flock to look at the art-in-situ convinced all the doubters that this very democratic method of dispersal was really the perfect way to proceed. The Vogel’s lifetime devotion of collecting this art is unparalleled as is their generosity. Not because this utterly charming selfless couple gave away a Collection worth $25 million, but because their real legacy is their infectious enthusiasm for something they loved so much that they wanted to share it with us all…. and they have.
Unmissable.
You can view the entire 50 X 50 Collection online http://vogel5050.org/
★★★★★★★★★
Labels: 2013, art, biography, documentary
