Dorothy and Herbert Vogel were not collectors of independent means. Dorothy worked as a reference librarian in the Brooklyn Public Library and Herbert worked as a postal clerk with the United States Postal Service. They were married in 1962 and started collecting right away. Their first purchase, an engagement gift to themselves, was a ceramic vase by Pablo Picasso.
Now you can see 50 works from their collection, which is widely considered to be one of the most remarkable collections of contemporary art in America. The show called “Fifty Works For Maryland: Collecting the Vogel Way” opens Friday, August 6 at the Academy Art Museum in Easton.
Living on modest means, the Vogels didn’t set out to build a collection; they were simply looking for works they loved and wanted to live with. And live with them they did. By 1992, Dorothy and Herbert had amassed a collection of 4,782 works, which (try to imagine) they housed in their one-bedroom, Manhattan apartment. So, in 1992 they transfered their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art.
The collection is minimal art, abstract expressionism and conceptual art, with a focus on drawings. They were passionately adventurous, yet confident in their tastes. Operating with limited funds, they somehow supported a string of young, unknown artists, including Sol LeWitt, Edda Renouf, and Richard Tuttle.
In 2008, they launched The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a program that would donate 2,500 works to 50 institutions across 50 states.
That same year, as a part of the program, the Academy Art Museum in Easton was selected to receive 50 works.
“Gifts such as this and its subsequent display are energizing to the community,” said Academy Art Museum curator, Brian Young. “As our audience well knows, the Vogel gift changed the future of the Academy Art Museum, and other recipient institutions, by strengthening its collection of contemporary holdings.”
Fifty Works For Maryland: Collecting the Vogel Way, opens this Friday, August 7 and will be up until November 6, 2010
Exhibition Dates: Members’ Reception: Friday, August 6, 2010, 5:30-7:30pm
The show opens to the general public on Saturday, August 7.
You might also enjoy listening to the curator discussion on WCEI 96.7 radio, Wednesday, August 4, 8:00-8:20 am.
To learn more about the Vogel Collections, visit Vogel5050.org.
The Academy Art Museum, 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland. Admission is free. For hours and general information, please call (410) 822-2787(ARTS) or visit https://www.academyartmuseum.org/index.html
Carla Massoni says
Kudos to the Academy Art Museum for being selected for this amazing gift! It celebrates the reputation so well earned by this regional museum. I was visiting the museum on Monday and slipped into the galleries for a “sneak peek” – challenging, thoughtful and worthy of much discussion! Thank you Kelly for featuring this article!
Dorothy Lindstrom says
There’s a great documentary, “Herb and Dorothy” (2008) on this fascinating couple