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Introduction

The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection

Fifty Works for Rhode Island
July 20 - December 2, 2012

RISD Museum was the recipient of fifty contemporary works from the celebrated collectors Dorothy and Herb Vogel. Both worked as civil servants throughout their lives so they never had extraordinary means with which to build a collection, but acquired more than 4000 works since their marriage in 1962. Their commitment to minimal and conceptual art is well-known, but their taste was much broader and included work rooted in Abstract Expressionism as well as figurative compositions. Most of the collection was given to the National Gallery of Art. The gift to Rhode Island is part of a broader effort to spread their collection across the United States with fifty works going to one institution in each of the fifty states. To learn more about the project see http://vogel5050.org/.

Since their marriage in 1962, Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have collected more than 4,000 works of art, assembling one of the most significant and unique private collections of contemporary art in the world. Civil servants by profession—she was a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library and he was a postal clerk—they lived on Dorothy's earnings and used Herbert's to acquire art. Meeting artists and collecting their work became the center of the couple's social life. They spent weekends and evenings at gallery openings and studio visits, developing close friendships with artists and patronizing many early in their careers, often providing both financial and moral support. The breadth and depth of the Vogel collection is a testament to these relationships.

When purchasing a work of art, the Vogels had two criteria: it had to be affordable, and it had to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. In addition to smaller canvases and sculptures, drawings presented the perfect solution, and, in fact, works on paper make up about two-thirds of the Vogel collection. Often considered a more intimate, immediate medium than painting or sculpture, drawings held a particular appeal for the Vogels because they were direct recordings of the artist's initial idea. The Vogels often selected a work of art for purchase after much examination, conversation, and discussion about artistic process. Thus, working sketches and models, particularly those by sculptors, held a particular appeal. Even if an artist traditionally worked in a larger scale, the Vogels sought smaller-scale works or studies that carried the same impact.

As their collection continued to grow throughout the 1970s and 1980s, outpacing available storage space in their apartment, the Vogels sought a permanent home for their collection, ultimately selecting the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Wishing to also engage in a more expansive philanthropic effort so that people around the country could see and study the artwork they admire, the couple decided to give fifty works of art to one institution in each state, calling their project The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States. The RISD Museum is honored to represent Rhode Island and to share this generous gift.

All works in the exhibition courtesy The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and the National Gallery of Art, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Selected Objects

Robert Barry

Study for Wallpiece, 1983

Lynda Benglis

Untitled, 1993

Lynda Benglis

Untitled, 1993

William Bollinger

Untitled, 1969

Charles Clough

August 12 (#21), 1985

Richard Francisco

Place, 1974-1975

Don Hazlitt

Untitled, 1979

Don Hazlitt

Untitled, 1980

Don Hazlitt

Shaped Edge, 1980

Stewart Hitch

Big Leg, 1981

Martin Johnson

He She He She He She, 1991

Steve Keister

Diamond, 1991

Steve Keister

Untitled, 1983

Alain Kirili

C102, 1983

Cheryl Laemmle

Self-Portrait with Bottle and Cage, 1988

Wendy Lehman

Going Dotty, 1981

Jill Levine

Untitled, 1988

Michael Lucero

Untitled, (drawing of sculpture in progress at foundry), 1988

Joseph Nechvatal

Death of a Culture (No More Jacksons), 1984

Joseph Nechvatal

End of the Valley Elf, 1984

Nam June Paik

Untitled, 1976

Nam June Paik

Untitled, 1978

Lucio Pozzi

My Wind, 1981

Lucio Pozzi

Untitled, 1975

Edda Renouf

Air-2, 1991

Edda Renouf

Desert Rhythms, 1991

Edda Renouf

Indian Lily, 2001

Judy Rifka

Untitled (six pieces), 1974

Richard Tuttle

Sketch for Brown Univ. Announcement of Richard Tuttle, 1978

Richard Tuttle

Untitled (white tape/red and yellow), 1978

Richard Tuttle

Loose Leaf Notebook Drawings, 1980-82

Edda Renouf

First Day-1 (Spring 87), 1987

Hap Tivey

Study for "AO GATE" #1, 1978

Joel Shapiro

Model for Two Houses, 2000

Alan Shields

Untitled, 1972

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #22, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #19, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #3, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #12, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #5, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #30, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #2, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #4, 1996

Richard Tuttle

How It Goes Around the Corner #28, 1996

Lucio Pozzi

Untitled, 1982

Lucio Pozzi

Untitled, 1982

Lucio Pozzi

Untitled, 1982

Lucio Pozzi

Untitled, 1982

Daryl Trivieri

Sketchbook (12 drawings), 1990

Daryl Trivieri

Bound sketchbook with 24 drawings, 1990

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection : Fifty Works for Rhode Island

July 20 - December 2, 2012
View Checklist PDF

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