[2] Their family was Jewish, and their circle of friends in the 1920s included Gerhardt Hauptmann, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, and Paul Klee, among other writers, scientists, musicians and artists.

[3] Ruth began work designing window displays for Bonwit Teller, Tiffany's, Lord & Taylor, and other department stores.

The year 1960 proved to be a significant one for Ruth Vollmer: she had her first solo exhibition at Betty Parson's Section Eleven gallery space.

In 1971 Ruth Vollmer participated in the protest of the cancellation of the Hans Haacke at The Solomon R. Guggenheim exhibition by writing a letter to the museum's director, Thomas Messer.

Vollmer hosted artists such as Robert Smithson, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Carl Andre, and Eva Hesse[4] at "salons" in her apartment on Central Park West.

Her personal art collection included works by Carl Andre, Mel Bochner, Eva Hesse, Sol LeWitt, Ad Reinhardt, Frank Stella, Agnes Martin, and Chryssa.