Shaping the Collection

The Vogels credited the various directions in their collection to their friendships with artists, in particular Dan Graham and Sol LeWitt. In about 1965, for approximately one year, Graham managed the Daniels Gallery, where Dorothy and Herb frequently came to look at art and engage in conversation. The essential subject of their discussions was the emergence of new art forms, especially in the work of Donald Judd and Robert Morris. When the Vogels decided to purchase a LeWitt sculpture after the closing of his first solo show, held at Daniels in 1965, the gallery was about to close. Graham—who continued to get together with the Vogels, often over dinner—suggested they contact the artist and conduct the transaction directly.

Dorothy and Herb often reiterated how their conversations with artists were essential not only to their understanding of individual oeuvres, but also to the expansion of their broader aesthetic appreciation

The Vogels’ serious collecting started with that August 1965 studio purchase, which was also LeWitt’s first sale. He delivered the sculpture to the Vogels’ apartment with the help of his artist-friend Robert Mangold, who owned an automobile. Shortly thereafter he and Sylvia Plimack Mangold would be counted among the Vogels’ growing community of artist-friends. The friendship between the Vogels and LeWitt thrived, and during the last decades of LeWitt’s life, he and Herb spoke by telephone virtually every Saturday morning. Similarly, Herb maintained frequent telephone contact with several other artists. Dorothy and Herb often reiterated how their conversations with artists were essential not only to their understanding of individual oeuvres, but also to the expansion of their broader aesthetic appreciation and knowledge.