A Passion Shared

Beginning in the 1960s, New York couple Dorothy and Herbert Vogel spent 45 years collecting contemporary art including paintings, sculpture, and works in many other media. Over that time, their collection grew to nearly 5,000 works, and reflected the Vogel’s close relationships with the artists whose work they acquired. In 1992, the Vogels pledged more than 2,000 works to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Staff at the National Gallery then worked with them to make plans for the further dissemination of their collection. In 2008, the Fifty Works for Fifty States initiative was announced, giving 50 works of art to one institution in each of the 50 states. The Birmingham Museum of Art received the gift for Alabama, owing to its “importance as an educational and cultural institution in our region.” This exhibition features all 50 of the donated works by an international roster of well- and lesser-known artists. This is a great opportunity to see the work of a number of contemporary artists whose work has never before been exhibited in the Southeast.