Way back in 2000, I was in the Studio Gallery in London, where there was a fabulous exhibiton of contemporary glass, "The Japanese Connection" on. There was some amazing Czech glass there, including a massive piece called "The Green Eye of the Pyramid", by Stanislav Libensky, which was bought by the Ulster Museum at the time.
I had to wait until last year to get to the museum to see it "in situ", but I was aware they were clearly ahead of everybody else in the uk when it comes to rating contemporary work. I was allowed to photograph it too, so it wasn't too easy to forget!
There is also the thrill of seeing work in a museum by artists whose work you have surrounding you at home!