Museum. The keeper of the Art and Industry Division, Mairead Dunleavy, oversaw the work. It was opened by Síle de Valera, Minister for Arts and Heritage, and her counterpart in Northern Ireland, Michael McGimpsey, and was the first exhibition of its kind in the museum for over 100 years. The exhibition is dominated by the clothing of wealthier sections of Irish society historically, as those tended to be the clothes that were preserved. The exhibition also includes outfits worn by the spouses of Irish presidents, including Sinead de Valera, Rita Childers and Maeve Hillery. The exhibition is mounted using single or small groups of simple mannequins with the stories of the individual outfits described alongside. As well as military outfits and formal dresses, it also features a Celtic Revival dress from the early 20th century by Kitty MacCormack, and pleated linen gown by Sybil Connolly. Eileen Gray In 2000, the museum purchased a large collection of works from the designer and architect Eileen Gray at a cost of £900,000, outbidding the Pompidou Centre, Paris. The items were part of Gray's personal collection, from her apartment in Paris, and included personal objects, furniture, and models. These were placed on permanent display, curated by Dr Jennifer Goff, opening on 22 March 2002. It features a number of her most recognisable furniture designs, and its opening was marked with a conference dedicated to her. Curator's Choice The Curator's Choice exhibition features 25 objects selected by curators from across the museum's four divisions. Artefacts exhibited include King William's gauntlets that he wore at the Battle of the Boyne, a pocket book belonging to Wolfe Tone while he was imprisoned in the Barracks, and an oar and life belt salvaged from the . One of the most notable pieces in this exhibit is a Chinese porcelain vase from about 1300 AD, known as the Fonthill Vase. A Dubliner's Collection of Asian Art: The Albert Bender Exhibition The exhibition of the collection of Albert Bender was remounted at Collins Barracks in 2008, a collection which had been previously displayed at the museum in Kildare Street from the 1930s to 1973. Bender was an Irish-born Jew who had emigrated to San Francisco, where he amassed a large fortune from his work in insurance. The modern remounting of this exhibition displays a selection from the 260 objects of Asian art Bender donated, with one of the most important