
Auction / 25 April 2019 Noon ct
The Robert &
Ruth Vogele Collection
Avid collectors of fine art, folk art, and modern design, Robert and Ruth Vogele amassed an impressive selection of works throughout their sixty-plus years of marriage. More than patrons, the Vogeles believed in establishing personal relationships with artists to better understand the artwork and inform their collecting. Robert said “art enriches life” and this April, Wright is pleased to present a selection of works that do just that.
The Robert and Ruth Vogele Collection will take place on April 25 at 12 pm central. Wright will host an evening reception on Tuesday, April 23rd, 5–7 pm.

Selections from the Collection

George Rickey
Tetrahedron Down II
estimate: $15,000–20,000
result: $35,000

Robert Motherwell
Barcelona Elegy to the Spanish Republic
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $11,250

Lynda Benglis
Blue Pair
estimate: $7,000–9,000
result: $175,000

Harry Bertoia
Untitled (Bush Form)
estimate: $70,000–90,000
result: $112,500

John Henry
Maciachini Model 2
estimate: $3,000–5,000
result: $11,875

Chuck Close
Self Portrait/Lincoln Center
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $5,625

Ibibio artist
Idiok Ekpo mask
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $1,250

Lyman Kipp
Oxtail
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $2,125

Herbert Bayer
Yellow Mirage
estimate: $4,000–6,000
result: $4,063

Michael Goldberg
Untitled
estimate: $20,000–30,000
result: $42,500

Peter Voulkos
Untitled Plate
estimate: $5,000–7,000
result: $11,875

Adolph Gottlieb
Untitled (Burst)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $2,750

Harry Bertoia
Untitled (Monotype)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $2,375

Betty Parsons
Mantelope
estimate: $1,000–1,500
result: $6,875

Sam Francis
Firewood
estimate: $1,500–2,000
result: $3,750

Robert Adams
Untitled (Screen Form)
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $17,500

The very act of living requires creative decisions everyday. How we design our lives…our personal vision…sets in motion a series of events ever-unfolding, ever-challenging, ever-changing. To design a life is to find what you believe in, what you aspire to be and what you want your legacy to be. It is proactive acts we intentionally use to define ourselves in relationships to others. A life in Design.
Robert Vogele

Living with Art
“Ruth and I have developed a passion for meeting artists, collecting their art and living with art since we were first married in 1952. Knowing the artist makes every work of art more special. This has been true whether it is contemporary prints, paintings or sculpture, Southwestern pottery and weavings, or self-taught folk art. We also have enjoyed sharing our collection with others, whether it be through an exhibition or a gift to museums or college art collections.”



A Life in Design

Throughout his fifty years as a designer, Robert Vogele founded two of Chicago’s most significant design consultancies and one of the largest firms in the nation. Born in 1928, Vogele exhibited a natural talent for drawing early on. At the University of Illinois, he flourished, securing degrees in communications, fine art and business while working as assistant art director for the press department. Upon completing his military service in 1956, Vogele accepted a position as the director of graphics, packaging and corporate identity at Lathan, Tyler and Jensen—a firm that grew out of Raymond Loewey’s Chicago office when it closed in 1954. Dick Lathan, Vogele’s mentor at LTJ, stressed innovation and taught the importance of a unified visual identity, a concept that would become the cornerstone of Vogele’s burgeoning career.

Art and design have been calling me all of my life and I would like to believe that I’ve answered back.
Robert Vogele
The Robert and Ruth Vogele Collection
For more information about
this sale, please contact:
312 563 0020
sales@wright20.com
Preview
18 – 25 April 2019
10 am – 4 pm Monday – Friday
Auction
25 April 2019
12 pm central