Private Eye ll

Private Eye II
An exhibition of more intriguing collections from residents of the Capital Region
April 1, 2002 – September 9, 2002
Public Reception: April 5, 2002

Even a casual glance at some of these collections can show how fun, unpredictable, educational, and original collecting can be. The art of finding beauty and charm in the most unexpected places is the collector’s passion. And some of their discoveries are gathered here in twenty-five new groups of objects, from bowling balls to Disney dolls, washboards to electric toasters.

Curator’s Statement

The bizarre, mundane, offbeat, and perfectly fascinating collections in this exhibition are an almost unavoidable sequel to the seminal Private Eye exhibition. Because of the overwhelming response from visitors and collectors to the original show, a wealth of new objects from the greater Capital Region are uncovered here for the benefit of all.

As before, the collections chosen have an everyday appeal. By finding ordinary objects, assembling and sorting them by outward similarities, then presenting them out of context in a gallery, collectors transform and redefine their objects. The art of choosing and making distinctions — the art of collecting is made tangible here often illuminating arcane corners of recent history with unexpected flair.

Organizing this exhibit has had its own detective aspect, sleuthing for new and unusual collections and discovering surprising new categories and interesting new collectors. It turns out that many of these people, from all walks of life, have not one but several collections. The bug to collect is a serious compulsion.

Be prepared, you may leave this show with new eyes, and a new itch to acquire things strange and wonderful.