Herb & Dorothy DVD Review

Herb & Dorothy, a documentary by Megumi Sasaki released by New Video/Arthouse Films on DVD on December 15th, is amazing.  It’s comprehensive, abundant, generous, and sweet, with both historical photos and post-modern art interviews, and it’s a labor of love on the part of the Vogels, Herb and Dorothy.  Mid-film we learn that Herb left high school at age 15 and wore Cab Calloway zootsuits and went to music gatherings and worked at the post office, but at the same time checked out tons of art books from the library and educated himself in art, as he disliked people at school telling him what to do.  Dorothy came from Elmira in upstate New York where she got a master’s in Library Sciences and moved to New York City to live with a friend in an apartment, which she perceived as an adventure.  Herb and Dorothy met at a dance in New York City in 1960 (almost unbelievably, Dorothy states that there were no singles bars at that time!).

On their honeymoon Herb took Dorothy to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and began teaching her about art.  Wanting to be closer to him, Dorothy started creating her own artworks in their apartment (as Herb did too).  Not satisfied with their work, they soon started collecting artworks from artists in Soho, before there were even galleries there or on Madison Avenues (the galleries didn’t come along until the 70’s!).  These artists lived for their work while being employed at other jobs, as they were fortunate to sell even one item every six months (so the Vogels really helped them).  By the time the Vogels had been married for over 40 years they had amassed such a large collection that even the National Gallery Of Art didn’t have room to take it all!  Chuck Close called them the mascots of the art world, Lynda Benglis said that they were pure people because they cared for all that artwork, and the artists were lucky that they did!, and Dorothy states that their best reward was their interaction with the artists (since she and Herb vowed never to sell the artwork or make a profit from it).

Dorothy and Herb were interested in the Minimal Art of the time, while artist Sol LeWitt felt that the name didn’t do it justice.  He says that an artwork doesn’t have to be anything, but must eventually take a form (it could be a process or even a word, like the show featuring Robert Barry’s large silver words at all angles on the walls and ceilings of a gallery).  Conceptual art is explored (as in Mel Bochner’s On Kawara, a set of postcards sent to the Vogels by Bochner from Mexico, Argentina and Brazil documenting when he got up in these exotic places), or in Christo’s work (well-known for his building wrap-arounds).  Christo gave the Vogels a collage of preparatory work for “The Valley Curtain” in exchange for them babysitting his cat Gladys for the summer that he was installing it (since the Vogels loved cats, turtles and fish).

Richard Tuttle speaks endearingly about the Vogels, saying that they have an intuition for art “that goes straight from the eye to the soul while bypassing the brain.”  When the National Gallery of Art decided to give Dorothy and Herb a yearly annuity for their unbelievable donation (in case either became ill or they needed something), the Vogels just spent it on more art to donate!  Now they visit their art collection twice a year in Washington and ask to see certain pieces.

Herb & Dorothy is no frou-frou film – not only comprehensive but so filled with artists and artworks that even I, who have a degree in Fine Arts and am the type of personality that takes on challenges and passions, found it a bit overwhelming.  That a couple living on the wife’s salary and spending the husband’s paycheck for artwork could have such a great impact on American artwork is astounding!  This is definitely a multiple-award winning documentary one could return to and view many times, learning a little more each time.  A must-see for art afficianados and those who are curious about the mysterious New York City art scene!

MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 87 Minutes
DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009

Grade: A

Director: Megumi Sasaki
Interviews: Chuck Close, Sol LeWitt, Lynda Benglis, Richard Tuttle, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner

DVD Review by Christina of Movie Room Reviews