Recently watched Herb & Dorothy, an interesting, quirky documentary. The movie is about New York art collectors Herb and Dorothy
Vogel, who amassed one of the most extensive and amazing collections of modern,
abstract art in the world over the course of a few decades.
What’s phenomenal about this
endearing couple’s story is that they assembled this awesome art collection on
the meager salaries of public servants. Herb was a sorting clerk for the post
office and Dorothy was a librarian in the Brooklyn Public Library before they
retired in 1979 and 1990, respectively.
Herb and Dorothy were both obsessed
with art from the beginning and began making friends with up-and-coming
artists. They collected works by bartering and making installment payments.
Oftentimes, the starving artists were grateful just to have someone interested
in supporting their work.
Among the artists whom Herb and
Dorothy befriended in the early days were Christo and Jean-Claude, who later went
on to international acclaim and designed the world-famous “Gates” installation
that ran along 23 miles in Central Park in February 2005. One of the earliest
pieces Herb and Dorothy collected was a collage by Christo, which the Vogels
acquired in exchange for cat-sitting for the artist.
Herb and Dorothy crammed these
brilliant works into every inch of their tiny apartment. Eventually, they began
to feel that they should share these works with the world. But instead of
accepting lucrative offers to sell the works, they donated them to several
museums, including the National Gallery of Art in D.C. and the Akron Art Museum
in Ohio.
It would be wonderful if, like Herb
and Dorothy, we all had a special someone to not only share our lives with, but
our passions as well.
