Montclair Art Museum Presents "Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection"

Aug. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Digital Images and Related Information Available for Download at
http://www.montclairartmuseum.org/press
   

ON DISPLAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2010–JANUARY 2, 2011

If you’re rich, it’s easy to start a collection. But if you need your paycheck to pay the rent and phone bill, and you want to collect, you’ve got to depend on instinct. What you feel in your head and heart. Wits and guts. —Herbert Vogel, 1992

I think knowing the artists adds another dimension because you get to really know the work a lot better. You understand it better, and you see things through their eyes.
—Dorothy Vogel, 1994

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) presents "Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection," featuring art produced between 1967 and 2000 by 27 artists, on view September 24, 2010 – January 2, 2011. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel assembled one of the most remarkable collections of contemporary art in America, especially drawings, amassing some 4,000 objects. With the help of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, they launched a national gifts program, Fifty Works for Fifty States. This program distributed 2,500 works from the Vogels’ collection throughout the nation, with 50 works going to a selected institution in each of the 50 states. The Montclair Art Museum was chosen as the recipient in New Jersey and was among the first 10 institutions in the nation to be selected. The exhibition celebrates the over 50 works on paper, sculptures, and paintings MAM received as part of this astonishing and generous program.

   The Vogels’ story is unique in the history of art collecting. Herbert Vogel (b. 1922) spent most of his working life as a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel (b. 1935) was a reference librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. Shortly after they married, in 1962, they decided to live only on Dorothy’s salary and to devote Herbert’s to purchasing art. Together, on a small budget but with a grand vision, they collected thousands of pieces over a 30-year span, stuffing their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment with cutting-edge treasures. They earned as well the admiration of artists, who were aware of the Vogels’ limited funds and who appreciated their enthusiastic response to a range of contemporary practices. Artists inscribed many of the artworks to the Vogels, often with great affection.

   Richard Tuttle is the best represented artist in their collection, which has been the largest and most comprehensive concentration of his work. The Vogels donated nearly 300 of his works to the National Gallery of Art, and every museum in the Fifty Works for Fifty States project has received numerous gifts as well. Tuttle recently recalled collaborating with Herb Vogel in the creation of a work in the show, "Merry Christmas, Herb & Dorothy," 1989, as the collector made suggestions. Noting that “his eyes became part of the work,” Tuttle spoke of the “very deep friendship and symbiosis” with Herb Vogel, who “sees the world as I do.”

The full story of the Vogels is told in the documentary "Herb & Dorothy" (2008, 87 minutes), directed by Megumi Sasaki, which will be shown on a continuous loop in the gallery as part of the exhibition.

   The Vogels are best known as collectors of minimal and conceptual art, but have always had a more expansive reach, including works of a figurative and expressionist nature. Besides Tuttle, MAM’s collection includes works by Stephen Antonakos, Will Barnet, Robert Barry, Lynda Benglis, Charles Clough, Bryan Hunt, Bill Jensen, and Edda Renouf. At MAM, this exhibition and related programs will also explore the themes of philanthropy and collecting.

   More information about the Vogels and their national gifts initiative may be found at http://www.vogel5050.org.

Documentary Film
Herb & Dorothy, an award-winning film by Megumi Sasaki, tells the story of how Herbert and Dorothy Vogel managed to build one of the most significant contemporary art collections in history on very modest means. In the director’s words, it is a film “about the power of passion
and love, and a celebration of life.” The film will be shown on a continuous loop in the gallery
as part of the exhibition. Click here for a short trailer: http://vimeo.com/3069795.



Public Programs; Group Tours
MAM is offering a wide variety of education and public programs for all ages in connection with the exhibition. Please consult the calendar on the home page of montclairartmuseum.org for complete information. Group tours may be booked by calling 973-259-5136 or by e-mailing tours@montclairartmuseum.org.

24th Annual Julia Norton Babson Memorial Lecture
“Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection. A Collector’s Perspective with Dorothy and Herbert Vogel” features a discussion between the Vogels and New Jersey artists Richard Tuttle and Robert Barry, both of whom are represented in MAM’s collection. Moderated by MAM’s chief curator and organizer of the exhibition, Gail Stavitsky. Thursday, October 7, 2010, 7 p.m. Tickets: $10 members, $15 nonmembers. Free for Montclair State University staff and students. Please visit montclairartmuseum.org for additional details.

Collecting Art: An Affordable Art Fair
The Museum is organizing its first affordable art fair on Sunday, October 24, Noon to 5
p.m. in conjunction with Living for Art. A diverse group of emerging artists will offer pieces in the range of $50 to $500. MAM will offer free admission to the galleries on that day.

Online Press Site
The Museum will maintain a site dedicated to the exhibition for journalists seeking further information, including a checklist and images. Please visit http://montclairartmuseum.org and click on For the Media.

Sponsorship
The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States is a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and the National Gallery of Art, with generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Living for Art: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection is presented at the Montclair Art Museum thanks to generous Exhibition Angel support provided by Newton B. Schott, Jr., and Toni LeQuire-Schott.

General Information
The Montclair Art Museum is located at 3 South Mountain Avenue in Montclair, N.J.  Information and directions are available on the Museum website, montclairartmuseum.org, or by calling 973-746-5555.  MAM is open Wednesdays through Sundays, Noon – 5 p.m., and closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and major holidays.  Museum admission is $12 for nonmember adults, $10 for senior citizens and students with I.D., and free for members and children under 12.

All Museum programs are made possible, in part, by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Vance Wall Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Museum Members.

# # #

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) presents exhibitions and programs that reflect its collection of historic and contemporary American and Native American art. MAM's Yard School of Art offers classes for people of all ages.