About the Documentary

He was a postal worker. She was a librarian. Together they amassed one of the most important contemporary art collections in the world.

Herb & Dorothy tells the extraordinary tale of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a seemingly ordinary couple who filled their humble one-bedroom New York apartment with more than 4,000 works of art over a 45-year period. Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki turns her lens on the Vogels during a critical period of transition for the couple and their cherished collection.

From the earliest days of their marriage, the Vogels delighted in art. While working the midnight shift at the post office, Herb studied by day at the Institute of Fine Arts. Dorothy soon followed suit and began taking classes in painting and drawing. But ultimately, Dorothy confesses, they were “wannabe artists” and quickly gave up their own ambitions when they realized the joys of collecting.

Despite their modest income, the two began acquiring work that was undiscovered or unappreciated in the early 1960s, primarily Minimalist and Conceptual art by such visionaries as Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Donald Judd, Richard Tuttle, Sol LeWitt, Christo, Lynda Benglis and many other artists who are featured in the film.

The work was mostly non-decorative, evoking descriptors like “daring” and “rigorous.” In their collecting, Herb and Dorothy adhered to strict guidelines—they would live on Dorothy’s salary and devote Herb’s income to purchasing art. While reflecting their adventurous taste, the collection would need to conform to practical limitations of affordability and space. One artist recalls that the Vogels would only buy pieces they could carry home on the subway or in a taxi.

Diminutive and unassuming, the two became a fixture on the New York art scene, attending nightly gallery events and befriending many of the artists whose work they collected. Artist Chuck Close affectionately refers to the couple as the “mascots of the art world.” Collaborators Christo and Jeanne-Claude recall how Herb and Dorothy acquired a work of theirs in exchange for cat-sitting.

By the early 1990s, the Vogels’ collection filled every corner of their living space, from the bathroom to the kitchen, floor to ceiling. “Not even a toothpick could be squeezed into the apartment,” recalls Dorothy. The place was bursting at the seams, and something had to be done.

Courted by every major museum, the couple astounded the art world by transferring their entire collection—worth several million dollars—to the National Gallery of Art. As government workers themselves, they liked the idea of sharing their prized pieces with the American people. After weeks of packing, shippers carted away an astounding five full-sized moving trucks of paintings, drawings and sculptures from the tiny apartment.

Today, still in love with each other and with art, Herb and Dorothy live in the same apartment, with their pet turtles, fish and cat. The once completely emptied space is again filled with art.

Update

In August 2009, filmmaker Megumi Sasaki reported that Herb and Dorothy had finally stopped adding to their collection. In 2008, they began distributing work through their national gift project, The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: 50 Works for 50 States. Although they don’t attend gallery or museum openings as much due to Herb’s health, the couple traveled with the film to many film festivals and screenings, meeting and interacting with the audience.

The Filmmakers

Megumi Sasaki
Originally a freelance journalist, Megumi Sasaki joined NHK In 1992, serving as anchor, news director and reporter for Ohayo Nippon, a popular morning news program. In 1996, she returned to independent work as a freelance television documentary news director and field producer, developing programs for Japan’s premiere documentary series, NHK Special, and for commercial networks including TBS, Nippon Television and TV Tokyo.

In 2002, Sasaki founded Fine Line Media, combining her commitments to Japanese TV with her new interest in feature documentary projects.Herb & Dorothy is her first independent film.

Bernadine Colish
Bernadine Colish has edited award-winning documentaries including Body of War, which was named Best Documentary by the National Board of Review and was on the 2007 Academy Award shortlist; A Touch of Greatness, which aired on Independent Lens and was nominated for a 2006 Emmy Award and The Buffalo War, which aired on PBS and received a Golden Gate Award for Best Environmental Film at the 2001 San Francisco International Film Festival. Colish began her career at Maysles Films, where she worked on such projects as Toru Takemitsu: Music for the Movies and the American Masters documentary Ella Fitzgerald: Something to Live For. Additional credits include Absolute Wilson and Muslims for Frontline.

Axel Baumann
Axel Baumann was born in Germany. He became a camera assistant in 1992 and six years later made the transition to director of photography. As DP, he has shot four feature films and also served as second unit DP John Waters’ Pecker among other films. Baumann’s work includes documentaries, music videos and commercials. He has shot for Warner Brothers, National Geographic Television, Discovery Channel, The Sundance Channel, BBC and PBS. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy for his cinematography on Liberia: An Uncivil War for Discovery Times. His latest project was Carrier, a 10-part PBS series following the USS Nimitz on deployment to the Persian Gulf.

David Majzlin
David Majzlin’s film composing credits include Being Reel, which won the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Competition; Still(e), winner of the Union of Film Music Composers Medal for Best Score (Avignon Film Festival); Excuses, Excuses, nominated for a Student Academy Award; Virgin Larry, winner of the Coen Brothers Audience Award (Brooklyn International Film Festival); Welcome to New York (Showtime) and over 20 other independent films.

Television credits include Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central), Living with Change (Castleworks) and Looking Back, Moving Forward (PBS). He has also composed music for numerous commercials, theatrical productions, choreographers and artists.

Karl Katz
Karl Katz has created films on arts and culture for 30 years and has spent more than 35 years in museum management. In 1958, he helped create Israel’s National Museum in Jerusalem and in 1969 was appointed director of the Jewish Museum in New York.

Katz was founder and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Office of Film and Television, where he produced nearly 40 films. In 1984, he became executive director of the museum’s Program for Art on Film.

In 1992, Katz founded MUSE Film and Television, a not-for-profit company that uses film and digital media to create quality films on the visual arts and culture.

Catherine Price
Catherine Price’s experience spans research, marketing, management of political and philanthropic initiatives and film production. In 1991, Price joined MUSE Film and Television, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating films on the visual arts and culture.

Price is the managing director of MUSE and is responsible for all MUSE productions and distribution. She also manages MUSE’s film festival of award-winning films on the arts, held annually in New York City.

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