Herb and Dorothy Review
I entered the Macaulay Screening Room on October 20th somewhat skeptical about watching a documentary following the lives of two curators. However, I walked out of the room inspired. The portrayal of the sheer talent and determination of Herb and Dorothy was enough to cause anyone in the audience to feel as thought they could achieve anything if they just tried hard enough. The fact that the film had such a strong effect is due to the main characters themselves, Herb and Dorothy, and to the director of the film, Megumi Sesaki.
Herb and Dorothy Vogel are two people who started out with nothing but drive and appreciation for art. They learned about art as they went along, and through their kindness and sincerity, they were able to make connections throughout the whole art world and obtain a huge number of expensive pieces without spending much money. The friendships they made were strong, and helped bring them to fame, as well as some of their clients. They could have gained an enormous profit, but because they love what they did so much, they donated all of their work to galleries, so that other people could appreciate art as much as they did without having to pay. Their message truly came across, and meeting them in person really cemented the idea that if you do what you love, and are determined enough, you can accomplish anything.
Sesaki herself is an inspiration, as she began directing this film with very little money or knowledge of art. She worked hard to learn everything she needed to know, held many fundraisers, and made sure to connect herself to all the right people to get this movie made. All along the way, Sesaki’s love for the movie, and for art in general, grew. One can see the amount of effort necessary to create this documentary, through both having to obtain old footage and photographs and getting in touch with some of the Vogel’s old friends, and actually recreating scenes settings that were not available otherwise.
I am so pleased that I had a chance to attend this Meet the Artist event because not only did I learn a lot about modern art and curating, I also came away with a new appreciation for curators and for directors, and with a new outlook on life.
