REVIEW: Herb & Dorothy
Posted Dec 14, 2009 by Dave Weinberg
Herb & Dorothy
A cute elderly couple coming from very minimal means + a love for art = one of the world's greatest collections of modern minimalist art. Does that make any sense? When most art collectors are paying millions for the right to own major work, Herb & Dorothy Vogel were building relationships with every artist in New York in their genre of interest. The couple, over the course of decades, would go to every opening and studio in New York, learning for each artist and buying all levels and medium of artistic pieces at levels which they could afford. They became known as the it couple in the the art collecting world, and an amazing example of how to build a collection with careful care and research. Their multi-million dollar valued collection was then given away to the National Gallery of Art – East Wing, where you can now see part of the 4500 or so pieces.
The story is great and told in a captivating way, using interviews from some of the past centuries most renowned artists telling their personal experiences with the Vogels. You might never guess it from the plain cover and the lackluster hype, but Herb & Dorothy is a wonderful documentary and well worth watching. I highly recommend it.
[FTC Disclosure: Author was given free DVD to review]
