Wonderful ‘Herb & Dorothy’ at Stranger Than Fiction 9 October

When Herb Vogel died in July, many observers lamented the loss to the art world. In that world, he is legendary, a former postal clerk who, with his librarian wife Dorothy collected art for years, packing it into their tiny Upper East Side apartment. Their tastes were eclectic, their desire to support artists enormous and generous. And they worked tirelessly over decades to do so.

The collection and the couple are showcased in Herb & Dorothy, screening on 9 October at Stranger Than Fiction, followed by a Q&A with both the film’s director, Megumi Sasaki, and Dorothy Vogel. The film focuses on how Dorothy and her husband worked together, how they interacted with artists, and how they lived, immersed in so much art. Richard Tuttle describes their work — and their love for it — rather poetically: “Most of us go through the world never seeing anything,” he says, “Then you meet someone like Herb and Dorothy, who have eyes that see something. It goes from the eye to the soul without going through the brain.” Herb & Dorothy helps to make that process visible to the rest of us.

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RATING 8 / 10