50 Works For Fifty States: Will Pittsburgh Get A Vogel Gift?

At a time when most people are sure that collecting art is all about money and important collections are only built by rich people, It's good to remember Herbert & Dorothy Vogel. I think Herbert was a postal worker or something and Dorothy was a librarian, but somehow through years of commitment, they developed one of the most important collections of minimal and conceptual art at a time when few people thought it was hot and artists were happy that someone was interested in their work.

"Works collected by the Vogels have appeared in numerous exhibitions throughout the world, including two major exhibitions the Gallery organized and presented that were selected solely from their collection. In 1994, From Minimal to Conceptual Art: Works from the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection was on view at the National Gallery of Art. It was also seen in 1997 at the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery in Austin, and the Portland Art Museum in Oregon. In 1998, the exhibition traveled abroad to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel, and the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, Finland. In 2002, Christo and Jeanne-Claude in the Vogel Collection was on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego."

The Vogels, and the National Gallery have announced that that an institution in each of the fifty states will get a work from the collection.

One still sometimes can see Herbert and Dorothy at openings in NY, where they are loved by both dealers and artists.