Fifty by Fifty

Fifty by Fifty

Story Image

 

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.

Developed as the follow-up film to Megumi Sasaki’s award-winning documentary HERB & DOROTHY (2008) that moved millions of art-lovers worldwide, HERB & DOROTHY 50X50 captures the last chapter of the Vogel’s extraordinary life and their gift to the nation, raising various questions on art, and what it takes to support art in today’s society.

In 2008, legendary art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel made an announcement that stunned the art world. Known and loved as a retired postal worker (Herb) and librarian (Dorothy) who built a world-class art collection on their humble salaries, the Vogels launched a national gift project with the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC that would constitute one of the largest gifts in the history of American art: to give a total of 2,500 artworks to museums in all 50 states.

This came 16 years after the Vogels had transferred their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art, the majority as a gift, making headlines in 1992. During those years at the NGA, the collection had grown to nearly 5,000 pieces, too large for any one museum to contain. As a solution, a national gift project titled The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States was conceived. Though their collection was now worth millions of dollars, the couple did not sell a single piece, instead giving fifty works to one museum in every state. Having worked their whole lives as civil servants, their wish was to give back to the people of the United States.

herbanddorothy.com

Archive Image

This article appears in Fall 2018 issue of Chanintr Living Download full issue

Or explore the entire library Visit the Chanintr Living Archive

We use cookies to personalize content and analyze website traffic. We also share your browsing and demographic information with our social media, analytics, and advertising partners. The information does not directly identify you, but it serves to provide a more personalized experience. View our Cookie Policy here.

Privacy Preferences

You can manage your preferences below.

Allow All
Manage Consent Preferences
  • Strictly Necessary Cookies:
    Always Active

    Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.

  • Analytical Cookies

    Analytical cookies help the website owner understand how visitors interact with the website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.

  • Marketing Cookies

    Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites. The intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for the individual.

  • Unclassified Cookies

    We are in the process of classifying unclassified cookies together with the providers of the individual cookies.

Save