Five Points Center for the Visual Arts is pleased to present renowned art collector Dorothy Vogel as our featured speaker for the 2019 Five Points Lecture Series. Mrs. Vogel will discuss why and how she and her husband, Herb Vogel, collected millions of dollars worth of art work on a limited budget. Dorothy will join Jane Coats Eckert of Jane Eckert Fine Art and Judith McElhone, Executive Director of the Five Points for a panel discussion.
In 1962, with very little means and a passion for art, the Vogels began collecting contemporary artwork in New York. Over four decades of collecting and relationship building with leading artists of the time, Dorothy and Herb acquired more than 4,000 works of art by more than 170 artists.
The beauty of their story is not one of lavishness and riches. It’s a story of vision and passion for the visual arts. Shortly after marrying in 1962, Dorothy, a reference librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library and Herb, a postal clerk, decided to live on her salary. This allowed them to purchase art on Herb’s salary, which was never more than $23,000 a year. Gradually, their tiny Manhattan apartment became jampacked, floor to ceiling, with small works that pushed established aesthetic and conceptual boundaries. By the 1970’s, the Vogel’s were regarded as one of the foremost collectors of post 1960 art.
In 1992 the Vogels gifted most of their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, which allowed the collection to be accessible and free to all. The magnitude of the collection led to the development of a program where 50 works from the collection were distributed to 50 States.
All are welcome to Five Points as Dorothy Vogel shares her insights on collecting and philanthropy.
Sponsored by:
Litchfield & Capsule Auctions
Ciesco Catering Company
