Herb & Dorothy (2008)

Herb and Dorothy Vogel redefine what it means to be an art collector.

Director:

Megumi Sasaki

Writer:

Abbey Dubin (Abbey Dubin) (as Abbey Shaine)

Stars:

Paula Antebi, Will Barnet, Robert Barry

6 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Paula Antebi	...	Herself - Herb's Sister
Will Barnet	...	Himself - Artist
Robert Barry	...	Himself - Artist
Lynda Benglis	...	Herself - Artist
Michael Bloomberg	...	Himself - Mayor of New York City (archive footage)
Christo and Jeanne-Claude	...	Themselves - Artists
Chuck Close	...	Himself - Artist
Jack Cowart	...	Himself - Director, Roy Lichtenstein Foundation
Molly Donovan	...	Herself - Curator, National Gallery of Art
Carole Hoffman	...	Herself - Dorothy's Sister-in-Law
Sidney S. Hoffman	...	Himself - Dorothy's Brother
Sol LeWitt	...	Himself - Artist (archive footage)
Joe Libonati	...	Himself - Postal Worker
Robert Mangold	...	Himself - Artist
Sylvia Mangold	...	Herself - Artist (as Sylvia Plimack Mangold)

Storyline

He was a postal clerk. She was a librarian. With their modest means, the couple managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history. Meet Herb and Dorothy Vogel, whose shared passion and discipline have defied stereotypes and redefined what it means to be an art collector.

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Plot Keywords:

art collector | contemporary art | philanthropy | donation | animal lover | 

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Taglines:

The incredible true story of a postal worker and a librarian who built a world-class art collection.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official MySpace

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 2010 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Эрб и Дороти

Filming Locations:

Franklin Roosevelt Station, United States Post Office, 909 Third Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,242, 7 June 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$194,721, 27 September 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Line Media, Independent Television Service (ITVS), MUSE Film and Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Along with the copious art collection which hangs on their walls, hangs from their ceilings, is stacked on the floor, stacked under their bed, and propped against or behind furniture, Herbert Vogel and Dorothy Vogel also have a large animal menagerie in their small apartment, made up of several cats roaming freely, several large turtles in water filled aquariums, and tropical fish in another aquarium.

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Connections

Features Charlie Rose (1991)

User Reviews

Ars Gratia Artis

To use the old Latin phrase (translation:art for art's sake). This is an open book look at two of the modern/postmodern art world's patron saints, Herb & Dorthy Vogel,who boasts of having the largest collection of modern art (all confined in a one bedroom apartment in New York City,yet). We get to know a bit about Herb & Dorthy (Herb is a retired postal worker,while Dorthy is a retired librarian),a couple who were wed in 1960,and spent most,if not all of their spare time in small galleries,perusing works by up & coming artists & purchasing works that they knew would fit in their modest trappings (an amusing scene shows Herb & Dorthy mulling over a Sol LeWitt piece that was just a bit too tall for their apartment,resulting in their exchanging it for something a bit more compact by LeWitt). Over a period of thirty years (or so),they would amass thousands of paintings,sculptures & conceptual pieces,representing the cream of the art world (or so they figured). First time producer/director,Megumi Sasaki crafts a portrait of two people,in love with each other & art (they're rarely apart from one another for too long---a scene at an artists opening depicts a somewhat jealous Dorthy getting her dander up when she finds Herb talking to a woman across the room from her). The documentary is studded with interviews with what has to be a "who's who" of modern art (Robert Barry,Pat Stier,Richard Tuttle,Christo & Jeanne-Claude,Sol LeWitt,etc.),as well as vintage film footage of the New York art scene in the 1950's,thru the 1970's & beyond. A "must see" for patrons of the arts. Not rated,but contains nothing to offend.