You could say that Herbert and Dorothy Vogel are somewhat ordinary people.  The elderly couple live ordinary lives in an ordinary apartment overlooking New York City where both worked ordinary jobs before they retired.

But a love of art, coupled with a passion for collecting, ventured their lives out of the ordinary and launched them into the national limelight.  After pouring their modest earnings into the works of up-and-coming artists, the couple gathered over 4,000 pieces.

Some of the pieces, which were once displayed only in their compact one-bedroom apartment, are now on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the exhibit “Fifty Works for Fifty States: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection.”

All of the couple’s collecting was financed on 88-year-old Herbert’s modest income as a postal worker, while 75-year-old Dorothy’s earnings as a reference librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library covered the bulk of their living expenses.

Postminimalist artist and friend to the Vogels, Richard Tuttle, once described their story as something “like a fairy tale.”

And, like all fairy tales, the Vogels found their way to a happy ending. Yearning to share their overwhelming collection with the public, they embarked on a project to spread their art across the country.

Originally, they had begun donating parts of their collection to the National Gallery of Art. Yet, once the gallery reached 1,100 pieces, they knew it was time to expand their donation beyond that gallery’s walls.

With support from the National Gallery of Art and funding efforts contributed by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Institute for Modern and Library Services, they distributed 50 works to a museum in each state for the exhibition project.

The Vogels selected the Milwaukee Art Museum to represent Wisconsin.  While many of their picks stemmed from personal experiences in specific cities or museums, this particular draw came from their research and admiration of the museum’s collection of and interest in contemporary art.

John McKinnon, assistant curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and curator of the Milwaukee exhibit, called the story incredible.

“Herb and Dorothy lived on very meager means but amassed a huge collection,” McKinnon said.

Their story and initial attraction to art began when Herb, who grew to love painting early in life, enrolled in art courses in the 1950s at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.  When Dorothy came along, he exposed her to his passion. After the two married, they both took art history and studio courses at New York University and visited commercial art galleries as often as they could.

After three years of painting and crafting, however, the Vogels put down their paintbrushes and concentrated exclusively on collecting pieces.  As they broadened their collection and their name slowly surfaced in the art world, they became good friends with a number of rising artists, including Sol LeWitt, whose minimalist work influenced the backbone of their collection.

Today, the Vogel collection comprises a rich blend of artwork from the minimal, conceptual and postminimal movements.  Milwaukee’s exhibit boasts pieces of all styles and techniques — from simple yet whimsical ink portraits to abstract acrylic works of very bold, almost explosive color.

Visitor Lee Mothes, 62, was particularly struck by a series of 31 watercolor blends on notebook paper by Tuttle that seems to dominate the entire exhibit.  The blends appear childlike and effortless but still reflect a sense of artistry and precision in their own right.

“The works are very elegant, but they’re not heavy,” Mothes said.

Apart from the actual pieces themselves, however, Mothes said it’s the lives of the Vogels that shape the exhibit.

“I like the story,” Mothes said.  “It’s not just an exhibit.  It’s about the people who collected it.”

McKinnon said he hopes the collection will reinforce the idea that anyone can collect art and will serve as an inspiration to visitors — visitors like Arlene West.

As West, 54, put it, “Wouldn’t it be great if more people of modest incomes were buying original art?”

The Vogels’ lives have been detailed in several publications including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in addition to an acclaimed documentary entitled “Herb and Dorothy.”  The exhibit will run through Feb. 28.