Film: Herb and Dorothy

Cast includes: Herb and Dorothy Vogel
Genre: Documentary

In brief: On their honeymoon in 1960, the Vogels visited the National Museum of Art in Washington DC. This was Dorothy’s introduction to Herbie’s art interest. Herbie was a postal worker; Dorothy a librarian. They enjoyed doing things together, so when Herbie took art classes, Dorothy signed up, too. After a while their walls were covered with their paintings… hers were probably better than his. Along the way, they started buying artwork from other artists and putting it on the walls, too. When they realized that the work of other artists was better than their own, they redirected their focus to collecting rather than painting.

The Vogels are best known for their collection of minimalist art. It was said, “They bought the most unlikable pieces.” But over the years, many of the artists they supported became famous and their works sought after. But the Vogels, known as the “mascots of the art world” continue to buy directly from their friends at affordable prices. The Vogels never let fame go to their heads. When a fellow postal worker learned that his coworker was a famous art collector, Herb implored him to keep it quiet.

The Vogels had only three rules… they bought what they liked, could afford and would fit into their apartment. The issue of fitting into their apartment was a subjective one. Living in a modest one-bedroom New York apartment, they had artwork everywhere… absolutely everywhere. As for the “normal” necessities of life, they were willing to do without almost everything except for the huge fish tank, turtle tanks and cats. When they agreed to make a large donation to the National Museum of Art, their collection was moved to Washington for cataloging… in 5 full-size moving vans. Herb and Dorothy is a wonderful testament to ordinary people following their passion.

popcorn rating