Grayson Perry is a contemporary artist in the UK and is widely renowned for his political commentary, storytelling, and explorations of social identity. Perry creates art in a variety of mediums, including tapestries, prints, and sculpture, but is best known for his ceramic pots. In his art, he cleverly examines ideas of class, gender, and consumerism while employing humor and incisiveness. In addition to being collected by many of the world's great institutions, Perry continues to attract collectors and investors looking for art that embodies humor and cultural significance. Browse our collection of Grayson Perry art for sale to discover your own unique opportunity to invest in this Turner Prize-winning artist.
About Grayson Perry
Born in Chelmsford, Essex in 1960, Grayson Perry became interested in art through painting and later discovered a love for pottery, which allowed him to merge traditional craft with contemporary ideas. He received an education at Portsmouth Polytechnic college and became known in the 1980s as an artist who blurred the line between personal narrative and the wider cultural critique. Perry’s persona known as Claire, and his use of alter-ego and femininity, became part of his public and artistic identity that impacted the ideas of gender and identity in his work. Perry won the United Kingdom’s Turner Prize in 2003, and since then, he has achieved a significant international reputation and has had milestone exhibitions at institutions including the British Museum (The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, 2011) and the Serpentine Gallery. Perry’s work often includes autobiographical elements, biting political satire and contemporary reflections on the British experience.
Iconic Series and Artworks
Grayson Perry’s ceramic vessels feature elaborate imagery and text that are some of his most iconic works. They blend the conventions of traditional craft with contemporary concerns around class and politics. Perry’s tapestry works, such as The Vanity of Small Differences (2012), explore earlier historical compositions such as religious art and Hogarth's moral compositions and reconceptualise them through the lens of modern consumerism and social stratification.
Another strong example of Perry's work is the bold architectural project A House for Essex (2015) which he helped create with FAT Architecture, as well as the more recent series of prints. Works of this nature tap into Perry's humorous, referenced and satirical approach to the critique of social norms and engagement with the banal. These works reveal Perry's repeated ability to look at what appears to be banal or ordinary, and understand its contingent power as a more radical work of art.
Artistic Techniques and Themes
Grayson Perry’s work couples traditional craft with incisive critique, producing works that are not only aesthetically stunning but also intellectually challenging. Perry is primarily known for his ceramic pots, in which he employs traditional forms and techniques, glazing, hand-building, and elaborate surface design, only to subvert these techniques with sardonic perspectives, activist imagery, and social commentary. Perry’s engagement with tapestry, printmaking, and scholarship expands Perry’s oeuvre beyond traditional craft forms to draw upon historical art forms, placing contemporary social assessments of class, gender, consumerism, identity and other social constructs in critical relationship to one another. Perry often draws upon personal narrative and autobiographical detail, including his alter ego Claire, to conjoin personal and cultural concerns. The crucial element is this tension between beauty and discomfort: beautiful and fanciful veneers expose a rigorous confrontation regarding social configurations and human activities. Craft and critique have come to produce an original perspective in contemporary art: critique of culturally privileged perceptions, while continually centring upon accessible, engaging content.
Art Market and Investment
Grayson Perry's market continues to steadily grow and both his ceramics and limited edition prints garner substantial interest at auction. The current sales show that there is strong momentum in the market: for example, Map of Days (2013), a limited edition etching, went for over £20k at auction, while tapestries from The Vanity of Small Differences series have now gone for over £500k as well.
Perry is a Turner prize winner, and Royal Academician with works in major museum collections such as Tate, British Museum and Centre Pompidou, ensuring they are recognised and regarded for their long-term cultural value. For collectors, limited editions and prints by Perry create a reasonable entry point to the market which is rapidly gaining interest and appealing investment opportunity, particularly now that there are proven institutions of cultural value appealing to the wider population.
Authenticity and Provenance
With a Grayson Perry work, the main issue to consider is authenticity when purchasing. Most of Perry's prints and editions are signed and numbered by the artist and his ceramics and tapestries come with a certificate of authenticity. Trusted sources include the artist's representing galleries, Victoria Miro and Paragon Press, in addition to auction houses.
On FairArt, not only do we make certain that every Grayson Perry artwork we have listed is guaranteed for authenticity and provenance, but we also work to ensure that all works are signed, numbered or certified so that collectors and investors can purchase with all confidence. If you have any questions regarding the status of a Perry artwork, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team at support@fairart.io.