New Film Documents The Rise Of Art Collecting Couple
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A new film profiles two very successful New York City art collectors, a middle-class couple that built up a world-class collection. NY1's Stephanie Simon filed the following report.The new film, "Herb and Dorothy" is a love story, an unconventional love story. The documentary is about husband and wife Herb and Dorothy Vogel's love and passion for art, and how that love allowed a postal worker and a librarian to build an art collection that today is worth millions.
"I think we look for something unique, something that we consider beautiful, something that has meanings, ideas, something that's pleasing to look at," said Dorothy Vogel.
In the film, viewers learn about how, beginning in the 1960s, this New York couple lived off of Dorothy's salary and used Herb's paycheck to buy art from the likes of Sol Lewitt, Richard Tuttle and Chuck Close.
"They were buying art for a$100, $50," said Close, "And you'd sell them work for nothing, not only because they were cute and funny and passionate and enthusiastic when no one was interested in what we were doing, but also because they came cash in hand."
For many years the vast, growing collection overran their small New York City apartment, where they still live today. But in 1992, they donated much of the approximately 2,000-piece collection to the National Gallery.
Director Megumi Sasaki learned about the Vogels while doing a story on the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude
"We were shooting their exhibition in National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. All the works were part of Herb's and Dorothy's collection, and somebody told me who they were, so I was very moved by their story," said Sasaki.
And Dorothy's advice for young collectors today: follow your heart.
"It's very exciting to get to know some of these younger artists who don't have a reputation, which is what we did," she said. "And you follow their career and watch them have exhibitions and get recognition. There's a lot enjoyment doing that that way. And it's more affordable. And some of them become famous and some of them don't."
Dorothy says fall in love with the work, not the idea that you may be buying a piece from tomorrow's art superstar. The film is currently playing at Cinema Village and Beekman Theatre. For more information, go to HerbandDorothy.com, CinemaVillage.com, or BeekmanTheatre.com.