True Art Lovers

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.