How Collecting Art Can Change Your Life – a True Story

Mike G. on 12 26, 2009

Surprise, surprise, I heard this story from the Art Lady, too.

The classic story of contemporary art collectors is that of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, a decidedly middle class Manhattan couple who have been avidly collecting the most avant-garde art of their time for the past 35 years. Herbert is a retired postal clerk who made at the most $16,000 a year. Dorothy is a librarian. In 1965, they befriended the important conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, and after his first show, bought their first piece of art. They now have over 100 works by LeWitt. Early on they decided to use Herb’s salary for collecting and Dorothy’s to live on, and over the intervening years, have amassed a collection of over 1500 pieces by the most important artists of the 70’s and 80’s.

Totally unassuming, short – Herb is 5 feet and Dorothy slightly taller – and notably frumpy, they have become the darlings of the art world. The objects that cram their tiny one-bedroom apartment – under the bed, hanging from the ceiling, etc, – reflect a prodigious intellectual journey and the creation of a specific sensibility that gives each individual piece in their collection more power than it would have on its own. The collection is its own work of art because it creates a context; a specific time in contemporary art, and reflects a specific idea of what art can be. The art world is their life. The Vogels were not content just to buy the art, but befriended the artists of their time and gave them unstinting emotional support. They attend all the gallery openings, exhibitions and events. They have made the art world their home. In a particularly touching tribute, they were crowned King and Queen of the Art World in a ceremony at PS1, a non-profit avant-garde art space in New York. So, for the Vogels the art world has enriched their lives – visually, intellectually and socially – and a rich life it is on $16,000 a year.

How Collecting Art Can Change Your Life – a True Story The classic story of contemporary art collectors is that of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, a decidedly middle class Manhattan couple who have been avidly collecting the most avant-garde art of their time for the past 35 years. Herbert is a retired postal clerk who made at the most $16,000 a year. Dorothy is a librarian. In 1965, they befriended the important conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, and after his first show, bought their first piece of art. They now have over 100 works by LeWitt. Early on they decided to use Herb’s salary for collecting and Dorothy’s to live on, and over the intervening years, have amassed a collection of over 1500 pieces by the most important artists of the 70’s and 80’s.
Totally unassuming, short – Herb is 5 feet and Dorothy slightly taller – and notably frumpy, they have become the darlings of the art world. The objects that cram their tiny one-bedroom apartment – under the bed, hanging from the ceiling, etc, – reflect a prodigious intellectual journey and the creation of a specific sensibility that gives each individual piece in their collection more power than it would have on its own. The collection is its own work of art because it creates a context; a specific time in contemporary art, and reflects a specific idea of what art can be. The art world is their life. The Vogels were not content just to buy the art, but befriended the artists of their time and gave them unstinting emotional support. They attend all the gallery openings, exhibitions and events. They have made the art world their home. In a particularly touching tribute, they were crowned King and Queen of the Art World in a ceremony at PS1, a non-profit avant-garde art space in New York. So, for the Vogels the art world has enriched their lives – visually, intellectually and socially – and a rich life it is on $16,000 a year.