The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
The Collector
2000
Location: Not on view
Description
For the past several years, Robert ParkeHarrison, assisted by his wife, has created black-and-white photographs of carefully staged scenes incorporating constructed sets and props around his home and studio in Worcester, Massachusetts. The resulting images are manipulated through darkroom techniques and are then altered by paints and varnishes. Always wearing a natty dark suit with a white shirt, the artist appears in each composition, representing the archetype of the modern man. He has stated, "In my images I become a character who is inventor, scientist, caretaker, and fool." In this large-scale composition, an outstanding example of ParkeHarrison's inventiveness, the artist tends an odd assortment of collected items that fill infinite rows of tall storage units located in an isolated field. He succeeds in drawing us into the scene while simultaneously encouraging a subjective interpretation of the image.- {{cite web|title=The Collector|url=false|author=Robert ParkeHarrison|year=2000|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2001.54