Delaware Art Museum Presents Fifty Works for the First State

WILMINGTON, DE.- The Delaware Art Museum presents Fifty Works for the First State: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, featuring art produced between 1966 and 2003 by 23 artists, on view June 19, 2010 – August 29, 2010. Dorothy and Herbert Vogel assembled one of the world’s most outstanding collections of minimal and conceptual art—over 4,000 works. They then teamed up with the National Gallery of Art, with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to launch Fifty Works for Fifty States. This program is distributing 2,500 works from the Vogels’ collection throughout the nation, with 50 works going to a selected institution in each of the 50 states. The Delaware Art Museum is proud to be the recipient of the Vogel collection for Delaware. The exhibition Fifty Works for the First State: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection celebrates this gift.

Michael Vinson Clark, also known as Clark V. Fox, (born 1946), Untitled, 1978. Acrylic and oil on linen, 10 1/2 x 14 inches, Delaware Art Museum, Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection, 2008 © Clark V. Fox, 2010

Even more remarkable than the Vogels’ generosity is their unique story. Dorothy Vogel is a retired librarian, and Herbert Vogel is a retired postal clerk. Shorty after they married, they decided to live only on Dorothy’s salary, and to devote Herb’s entire salary to purchasing art. In a tiny Manhattan apartment, they assembled their cutting-edge collection, placing art above their personal comfort. By focusing on artists who were just starting out, the Vogels helped many careers blossom and forged life-long friendships. As a result, several of the works in their collection were given by the artists as gifts, adding a priceless personal touch. Their full story is told in the recent documentary Herb & Dorothy (2008, 87 minutes) directed by Megumi Sasaki.

Now, the Vogels’ gift has strengthened the Delaware Art Museum’s holdings in contemporary American art. Visitors can expect a compelling mix that challenges the traditional expectations of symbols, narration, and representation in fine art.

As part of the Fifty Works for Fifty States program, the Delaware Art Museum received drawings, paintings, sculptures, and collages by 23 artists: Stephen Antonakos, Will Barnett, Robert Barry, Lynda Benglis, Loren Calaway, Michael Vinson Clark (Clark V. Fox), Charles Clough, Kathleen Cooke, Richard Francisco, Don Hazlitt, Stewart Hitch, Tom Holland, Martin Johnson, Ronnie Landfield, Robert Mangold, Lucio Pozzi, Edda Renouf, Judy Rifka, Pat Steir, Donald Sultan, Daryl Trivieri, Richard Tuttle, and Joe Zucker.