Truffle Hound @ Romer Young Gallery

Romer Young Gallery is excited to present Truffle Hound, a group exhibition featuring the work of artists Johnny Abrahams, Facundo Argañaraz, Amanda Curreri, Vaughn Terrell Davis Jr., Elise Ferguson, Joseph Hart, Sarah Hotchkiss, Pamela Jorden, Bessma Khalaf, Susan O’Malley, Gwenaël Rattke, Christoph Roßner, Erik Scollon, Ryan Wallace, Kevin Umaña and Nancy White. There will be an opening reception on Wednesday, July 15, from 5-8PM. The exhibition will be on view through August 22, 2026.

Artist Lucio Pozzi described Herbert Vogel as a "truffle hound" to describe the New York postal worker’s uncanny ability to instinctively locate and acquire exceptional, overlooked contemporary art. The Vogels primarily collected small-scale drawings, sketches, and other works on paper, which allowed them to maximize their space. When the Vogels began their collection, they followed three restrictions: they had to be able to afford the artwork, carry it home via taxi or subway, and fit it within their 450-square-foot, one-bedroom Manhattan apartment. The truffle hound metaphor highlights Herb's “impulsive yet brilliant talent” for identifying significant art, enabling him and his wife, Dorothy, to amass one of the most significant collections of 20th-century American art on a working-class budget. 

Art on paper has held a significant place in the history of artistic expression and has often been seen as the preparatory medium for the work of art. Historically, it has also democratized art, making it more accessible to creators and collectors, and encouraging broader experimentation with styles and ideas. Over the years, Romer Young Gallery has amassed a collection of small works that rarely see the light of day. Truffle Hound celebrates the work on paper (or conceptual equivalent) as the vital, non-preparatory, finished form of its execution, and highlights the foundational role these works play as the “beginning of everything,” the creative act that “puts a line around an idea,” the “visual diary of a personal world.”