Curator’s Statement

An exhibition of works collected over a 28 year period by Wim Roefs and Eileen Waddell is the focus of 701 Center for Contemporary Art’s Eye to Eye: the Roefs & Waddell exhibition. What started in 1996 as a purchase of a small painting by a local Columbia-based artist quickly morphed into a passion for collecting works in all media by artists from two continents. The collection is perhaps one of the largest private collections in South Carolina with over 700 works of art. The exhibition opens October 24th and continues through December 2024.

The more than 100 works included in Eye to Eye provide a small glimpse into the couple’s vision and mindset for assembling the expansive collection of works on paper, paintings, sculpture, craft, photography, mixed media and commissions for interior spaces in their home. “It is important to show the breadth of works acquired by the couple in order to portray the robust nature of the collection,” states Harriett Green, curator of the exhibition.

Among artists included in the exhibition are some familiar names such as Leo Twiggs, Edward Rice, Mike Williams, Tyrone Geter, Laura Spong, Peter Lenzo, Mary Robinson, Anna Redwine, Michaela Pilar Brown, Marcelo Novo, Jeff Donovan and Virginia Scotchie. It also includes some unfamiliar names such as Constant Nieuwenhuys, Klaus Hartmann, Hannes Postma, Anton Heyboer and Sjaak Korsten.

The collection as a whole speaks volumes not only about what is included but also the methodology involved in their decision-making process. According to Waddell, “Our choices of art to acquire was based on some set rules that included walking away if the work did not appeal to one of them and having veto powers when selecting works independently.” However, walking away was hardly the case since Waddell states that, “our tastes overlapped 80% – 90% of the time.”

Participating Artists

Peter Lenzo

Anna Redwine