7.05.2010

Netflix Challenge #6-Herb and Dorothy


a fascinating true story about a girl and her herbs. <-----Pant's summary :)



As with last week's pick, I let Netflix do the choosing! Herb & Dorothy was recommended as something I might like based on my interest in...well I don't really know anymore! I tend to go on sprees adding things to my instant queue and don't always remember the path I took to get there.

From Netflix:

"Chronicling the story of unlikely art collectors Herb Vogel and Dorothy Vogel, filmmaker Megumi Sasaki demonstrates that it's not necessary to be wealthy in order to build a significant collection in this fascinating documentary. A postal clerk and a librarian, the Vogels share a passion for art, which they pursued over decades, becoming two of the most important collectors of minimalist and conceptual art with more than 4,000 pieces."


To be honest, much of this documentary went over my head. I am not an art aficionado and know basically nothing about minimal or conceptual art. Of the countless artists mentioned and interviewed in this piece, I was familiar with two or three of them. I had never heard the names Herb Vogel or Dorothy Vogel before. Regardless of that, I still found their story immensely watchable.

The Vogels were not beautiful people, or rich people. They live(d?) their lives in a small, one bedroom New York apartment. Into that apartment they stuffed what amounted to almost 5,000 works of art! Not all at one time, of course. When they decided to donate their collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. they were able to clean out and start again!

A few things that stood out to me:

-I loved their choice to GIVE their collection to the National Gallery. They could easily have sold their art for millions of dollars but made a vow in the beginning to never sell one piece. They had a strong desire to keep the collection together as they felt it was meant to be. Herb worked for the Postal Service his whole life and Dorothy was a librarian. They loved the idea of being able to continue their government/service jobs by giving their collection back to the people. The National Gallery, as all museums and national art galleries in D.C., has no admission and they wanted the people to have access to art easily and cheaply.

-I couldn't help but think of the show Hoarders as they showed footage of the Vogels apartment. Boxes, crates and loose art are stacked from floor to ceiling and entirely covers the walls. The idea of collecting being an addiction is touched upon and I feel like the Vogels are prime examples. Their entire life was devoted to the act of collecting art...and having cats. :)

-There is a little extra scene at the end showing Dorothy buying her first computer. I love it. LOVE IT.

One thing I will say about this Netflix Challenge is that I'm keeping my mind open to any and all choices before me. Knowing that I have to fit nine more movies in before August 31st has got me a little panicky. I'm not allowing myself to be choosy and I think it's working out pretty well! I've now watched at least 2, if not 3 or 4 movies I might not otherwise have taken the time to see. I certainly feel like a more well-rounded individual!

If you're interested in the art world or eccentric pop culture figures, I would recommend giving Herb & Dorothy a spin.


1 comment:

  1. Haha, no offense to your review - it was great - but I think I like Pants' review just as much!

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