Carl Vogel (art collector)

Carl Vogel (born November 14, 1923 ; † February 5, 2006 in Hamburg ) was a German art collector and president of the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HfbK).

Life

Carl Vogel studied education , psychology and art history . Like his parents, he initially worked as a primary school teacher. In 1962 he became a professor at the HfbK, which he headed from 1976 to 1989 as president.

He was friends with Horst Janssen and accompanied the artist from his student days at the university until he fell out with him in the 1980s. Many of the original graphics were given away by Janssen to Carl Vogel and are often given a personal dedication by Janssen. Carl Vogel was a combative spirit with a sharp tongue who always consistently advocated his own collection. From 1975 Carl Vogel oversaw the conception of the exhibition in the club house of the Deutsche BP and regularly published exhibition catalogs. He mainly showed graphic works of the European avant-garde, but also presented traditional positions with Alfred Kubin and Gerhard Marcks . In 1979 he gave a look back at the graphic arts of the German Informel .

Vogel mainly collected contemporary prints. The Vogel couple's collection comprised around 15,000 graphics, watercolors, drawings, paintings, objects and sculptures. In 1991, around 10,000 exhibits from the Vogel collection by around 250 different artists were shown in the Deichtorhallen . On the island of Rügen , in the former Kraft durch Freude holiday complex in Prora , the Vogels have been showing large parts of their collection since 1996. The Horst Janssen Museum in Oldenburg was opened in 2000 with approx. 1800 original sheets from the Janssen collection of the couple Carin and Carl Vogel. This was made possible by the purchase of the holdings by the Claus Hüppe Foundation in Oldenburg in the year Horst Janssen died in 1995. The plans for a Janssen Museum in Hamburg, Carl Vogel's greatest wish, could not be realized. In 2010 the valuable pieces from the Vogel collection were auctioned at the Lempertz auction house, and Joseph Beuys's multiple “Schlitten” achieved an auction record.

Quotes

“During his time as President of the HfbK until the end of the 1980s, Carl Vogel had a decisive influence on the university. He was a charismatic figure who campaigned for the interests of contemporary art with energy and passion. ” ( Martin Köttering , President of the Hamburg University of Fine Arts, quoted on February 7, 2006)
“It was with great sympathy that I learned of the death of Carl Vogel, the long-time president of the University of Fine Arts. Professor Carl Vogel was a militant spirit, a passionate art fighter and a committed collector of graphic works. We will miss his voice and his contributions to art and politics in Hamburg. ” ( Karin von Welck , Senator for Culture of the City of Hamburg, quoted on February 7, 2006)
“Carl Vogel was someone who could polarize people a lot and who repeatedly interfered in the Hamburg art scene. He was also a manic collector - people still talk about nightly forays into the university, where he rescued sketches by artists teaching there from the wastepaper baskets. Vogel was also one of the first Horst Janssen collectors. ” (Claus Friede, art agent, quoted on February 7, 2006)

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personal data
SURNAME	Vogel, Carl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German art historian and art collector
DATE OF BIRTH	November 14, 1923
DATE OF DEATH	February 5, 2006
Place of death	Hamburg