Review of Herb & Dorothy (2009) by Steven S — 06 Jul 2010

Interesting. But they were hoarders, not collectors. At least in the end. Having seen some modern art in NYC I'm more open to it, but some of the stuff these guys were buying was a joke. They had 4000+ pieces stuffed in their one bedroom rent-controlled apartment along with at least a few cats, turtles in several tanks and several fish. Every square inch of wall space is covered with art, and some of that is covered with blankets for protection light. Starting to sound a little crazy? At some point they decide to give the whole thing away to the National Gallery in DC, but they end up accepting only 1000 pieces. That tells you all you need to know about the value of the collection.

Certainly an interesting couple who had a passion for art. But I have a hard time believing they had an eye for good art, as it seems much of what they bought they had to convince the artist himself it was something worth selling. Then again, art is in the eye of the beholder. Someday I will get to the National Gallery and take a look at the collection.

And I'd love to know how much they paid for all this stuff!