Watching Sunday Morning this weekend, I was reintroduced to art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel. The televised piece was originally aired on 60 Minutes in 1995 and I assume was replayed because Mr. Vogel passed away last month. The Vogels were not people of means, yet they built what became an internationally-famous collection of modern art. And while their collection became worth untold millions, they didn't retire wealthy, never selling a piece. They were both government workers, he a postal clerk and she a librarian. And because of this background, they donated most of their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. More recently, in late 2008, they launched The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States along with the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The program donated 2,500 works to 50 institutions across 50 states and was accompanied by a book with the same name. (Source Wikipedia) They collected what the loved and loved what they collected. We should all be so lucky to have such passion and to pursue it with such gusto.
The NY Times featured a nice obituary for Mr. Vogel. I also found what appears to be a PBS film on the couple, I believe from 2008, although I have not yet watched it. CBS featured this report on his death.
The 60 Minutes video is below.
1 August 2012
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