Herb and Dorothy Vogel are collectors. Today, they live in a small, one-bedroom apartment in New York City that they share with “19 turtles, lots of fish and one cat.” Previously Herb (a postal worker) and Dorothy (a librarian) had jammed their speck of a space with one of the most impressive private art collections in recent memory. By the time they moved their 30 years’ worth of finds to the National Gallery of Art, their holdings had expanded to include more than 2,000 pieces worth several million dollars. This documentary tells the story of two average people with extraordinary eyes for art, redrawing the boundaries around what it means to be a curator, a collector and a lover of beautiful things. The screening serves as a prelude to the 2009 Jewish Film Festival next weekend.
Sun., Nov. 1, 3 p.m., 2009
