
A follow up to award winning documentary 'Herb & Dorothy', the film captures the ordinary couple's extraordinary gift of art to the nation as they close the door on their life as collectors. When Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a retired postal clerk and librarian, began collecting works of contemporary art in the 1960s, they never imagined it would outgrow their one bedroom Manhattan apartment and spread throughout America. 50 years later, the collection is nearly 5,000 pieces and w... (Full plot summary below)
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A follow up to award winning documentary 'Herb & Dorothy', the film captures the ordinary couple's extraordinary gift of art to the nation as they close the door on their life as collectors. When Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a retired postal clerk and librarian, began collecting works of contemporary art in the 1960s, they never imagined it would outgrow their one bedroom Manhattan apartment and spread throughout America. 50 years later, the collection is nearly 5,000 pieces and worth millions. Refusing to sell, the couple launches an unprecedented gift project giving artworks to one museum in all 50 states. The film journeys around the country with the Vogels, meeting artists who are famous or unknown, often controversial, striking today's society with questions about art and its survival.
Leave your thoughts about Herb & Dorothy 50x50.
| Village VoiceChris KlimekIt's an absorbing document of an extraordinary act of generosity. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanIt’s a compelling, even stirring, tale. |
| RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiAs the saying goes, I may not know art, but I know what I like. I like this movie. |
| Seattle TimesTom KeoghAs with the 2008 film, a nice bonus of "Herb & Dorothy 50x50" is a chance to see a lot of the once-avant-garde art that so captivated the Vogels in their prime. |
| Film-Forward.comNora Lee MandelA superhero sequel worth seeing. . . [It's a] treat is to see the Vogels [as] active donors [and] how museums have experienced the impressive impact of their unique vision. |
| The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe democratic nature of the project and its exploration here jibes with the story of the Vogels, who (to put it mildly) don't conform to the stereotype of the filthy-rich art patron. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeMuch like a work of art, the film invites a range of reactions, though it’s far easier to process than the daubs, doodles and other weird works that now hang all over the country. |
| Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenMegumi Sasaki's follow-up to her first documentary, 2008's Herb & Dorothy, is as engaging and unpretentious as its subjects. |
| Time OutMatt PatchesThe tangential artist interviews and constant lionizing of the star couple meander, but given how museums between the coasts rely on collectors for life support, 50x50 still acts as a provocative call to arms: Those who love art must support it. |
| Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneDorothy Vogel is less the soft-spoken housewife from the first film than a businesswoman both shrewd and mousy, and her trajectory affords the film its closest semblance to a story. |