Monday, October 19, 2009

Herb & Dorothy Vogel

Together, Herb & Dorothy Vogel have amassed one of the most impressive and extensive collections of contemporary and minimalist art in the world.

They must be fabulously rich, right?

Far from it. Before retiring, Herb was a postal clerk and Dorothy was a reference librarian.

So how did they do it?

They lived on her paycheck and used his to build their collection.  Ultimately they donated some 2500 pieces to the National Gallery of Art and distributed many others to museums all across the United States.

I love the Vogels' story, made into a documentary film by Megumi Sasaki (see trailer below)--not just because the Vogels’ passion and generosity inspire me, but because so many of us believe we would pursue our dreams if only we had the money.



HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

4 comments:

  1. Prill, you find the most interesting people. Thank you for sharing. I have a few interesting pieces including a porcelain prize pig with a broken ear. LOL. But I also have a Vasserely. Op art I guess is minimalist. Sort of.

    Best,
    Carolyn Howard-Johnson
    Blogging at Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites pick www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com

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  2. I love these two people! It is a joy to have such passion..and theirs was shared! A double blessing!

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  3. My mouth hung open in... WOW! And they are just the cutest little couple, too! This was so sweet... just loved it.

    Barbara Techel
    Author & Proud Mom of Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog
    http://www.joyfulpaws.com

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  4. R&B-- That's exactly how I felt!

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