Documentary filmmaker Megumi Sasaki reveals the passion of two art collectors who amassed a staggering collection of important works before donating their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was the early '60s, and pop art was exploding. Everyone was looking for the next Warhol or Pollock, and meanwhile Herb Vogel was getting by as a postal clerk while his wife, Dorothy, worked as a librarian. Both husband and wife were lifelong lovers of art, and agreed to use his
salary to purchase works by unknown minimalist and conceptual artists while using hers to cover the couple's living expenses. It was tight living for sure, but the rewards they reaped would prove astounding. Not only did the couple grow to befriend many of the artists whose works they had purchased, but years later, after filling their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment with over 4,000 works of art, their collection would be valued at several million dollars. The Vogels never sold a single piece of art, instead choosing to donate their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art so they could clear their walls and start again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Sasaki balances her subjects' yarns with insights into the cultural moment that shaped them and vice-versa, in particular the shift from abstract expressionism to the sparer gestures of minimalist and conceptual art.
If Ripley's Believe It or Not! were still around, Herb and Dorothy Vogel would surely be in it for amassing a world-class art collection on the most ordinary of working-class salaries.
It's impossible to leave this movie believing that the Vogels are weirdos or naifs. A wealth of artists and curators testify to their strong eye, unwavering enthusiasm, and clear judgment.
A solid and engaging documentary that shows the chasm between art and those that are removed, for various reasons, from its creation and most readily accessible exhibition to be a largely artificial construct.
As director Megumi Sasaki's leisurely yet absorbing documentary tells it, the crusty postman and the mild librarian emerged as the Fred and Ethel Mertz of modernism, championing the early careers of such artists as Sol LeWitt and Christo.
When was the last time you saw older protags, or a happily married couple, in American film? In this charming docu, the Vogels recall vividly their experiences in life and art over the past four decades.
Herb and Dorothy certainly proves there's more than one way to be an art collector. It just doesn't probe deeply enough and ask thorny questions about the nature of collecting and the nature of art, and how they relate to one another.
A fascinating, warm and delightfully charming documentary that finds just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually.
a quirky doc about a new york couple who amassed one of the most impressive collections of contemporary art in america, on the salaries of a librarian and a postal worker. the vogels were compulsive collectors who filled every inch of their small apartment with works purchased from artists they found interesting,
before anyone else found them interesting. i had to wonder how they kept their numerous cats from destroying any of their precious works. it's a good thing they never had children! blessed with a good eye and a passion for art, the vogels, once frustrated painters themselves, never dreamed of selling even a single piece, eventually donating it all to the national gallery in washington, so the collection could remain intact and as a gift to the american people. after all, they were public employees all their working lives. they're an adorable couple and much beloved in the new york art world. and they visit their collection once a year.
December 26, 2010
Stella Dallas
Super Reviewer
Engaging and quirky doc about a couple who spends their extra income on artwork - so much that they have no room in their NYC apartment for anything but a bed, a kitchen table, and a refrigerator. Herb and Dorothy are two very sweet and engaging people, loved in NYC art circles, and deservedly so. A Wonderful look
inside the artworld for novices like us.
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