Herb & Dorothy on DVD

Over 45 years, Herb and Dorothy Vogel of New York City amassed a collection of 4,000 artworks in their modest one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. Neither of them were millionaires during the early 1960s, when they began purchasing undiscovered or unappreciated works from the Conceptual and Minimalist schools of art. After aborting their personal ambitions as artists, they decided to dedicate their livelihoods to the task of art collecting, living off of Dorothy’s income as a librarian while purchasing works of art with Herb’s pay as a postal worker. The couple had an acute sensibility for works that would appreciate in value and significance–a run-through of their collection includes now-famous artists like Andy Warhol, Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and Christo and Jeanne-Claude. They also had practical considerations for collecting. All purchased artworks needed to fit in their apartment and be transportable by subway or taxi.

Megumi Sasaki’s Herb & Dorothy (2008) is a documentary about two people of modest means who became patrons and friends of world-class artists. The film follows their lives leading up to their donation of their collection–worth several million dollars–to the National Gallery of Art. Which goes to show you don’t have to be Eli Broad or Donald Fisher to appreciate and collect art. The work of philanthropy, as the Vogels demonstrate, is not limited to just the rich and powerful. Herb & Dorothy is now available on DVD and can be purchased in time for the holidays at: Docurama Films

Dir. Megumi Sasaki. Color, 87 minutes, USA.