Sharing it out
Louise Nicholson meets Herbert and Dorothy Vogel at home in Manhattan to talk about their extraordinary gift of 2,500 modern drawings to 50 museums across the US. Portrait by Lanola Stone.
Louise Nicholson, Sunday, 29th June 2008
Beyond lie boxes of papers concerning the artists in their collection, each sheet awaiting Mrs Vogel’s meticulous indexing when she is not off to enjoy her matinée theatre shows. The collection, Mrs Vogel explains, never had a goal: ‘It’s not like collecting stamps. We chose the artists according to what we liked and found interesting.’
Even though the Vogels bought small pieces, they piled it all into their small apartment. ‘When I retired in 1990, I could inventory it’, says Mrs Vogel. Then came the giving. ‘When it went it was weird to have all this space.’ ‘I felt good’, adds Mr Vogel. ‘It was a good shock.’ ‘We felt we were doing the right thing’, says Mrs Vogel. Then she laughs, looking at her husband. ‘We found each other and then things fell in our lap. We were at the right place at the right time with the right attitude.’
For further information about the Vogels’ collection visit www.herbanddorothy.com
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