When I hear the words "art collector," I envision rich, reclusive businessmen, socialites with an inherited fortune, and foreign ambassadors and royalty with superfluous money to spend. Herb and Dorothy are no Rockefellers, but this couple has amassed a great collection over many decades. The couple, a postal worker and a librarian, always had a humble salary, but presently has a worldly art collection. Herbert and Dorothy Vogel began purchasing mostly unknown art in the 1960s. Herb's salary was entirely donated to collecting art, and over the next three decades the couple had the works of artists such as Robert Barry, Pat Steir, and Lucio Pozzi. In the 90s, the couple had over 2,000 pieces in their collection. I greatly admire the Vogel's donating the majority of their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., rather than auctioning their pieces for money. Their collection would now be worth millions of dollars, but the couple never even sold one piece. The Vogels are proof that monetary gain is not the central goal of every art collector within today's art world. They prove that art may still be collected simply to enjoy, not as an investment.
-Tina
No comments:
Post a Comment