Herb & Dorothy Vogel — Marty Johnson and P.S.1 Origins

Collectors & Friends
Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, a postal clerk and librarian, became legendary collectors of minimalist and conceptual art. Their collection grew to over 4,000 works, later gifted to the National Gallery of Art and distributed nationwide through the Fifty Works for Fifty States program.

They acquired over fifty works by Marty Johnson, placing his art in 36 museum collections. Beyond collecting, they formed a close friendship—visiting each other’s studios and apartments, exchanging postcards and letters (some of which are preserved in the museumofor archives), and remaining in touch until their deaths.

Marty Johnson’s Recollection
“I first met the Vogels in the late 1970s when I had my initial New York studio at P.S.1 in Long Island City. I saw them often around the city at openings and in SoHo. After I began to exhibit with Phyllis Kind, we became even closer. They came to my studio one or two times a year; and I visited them in their Upper East Side apartment, which was absolutely full of art.” —Martin Johnson

P.S.1 Connection
Founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss, P.S.1 (now MoMA PS1) transformed a disused school into a pioneering site for experimental art. Johnson was among its first residents, and it was during a studio visit there that he met the Vogels—sparking a friendship that would shape both his career and their collection.