Grayson Perry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grayson Perry
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Perry in 2007
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| Born | 24 March 1960 Bicknacre, Chelmsford, Essex, England
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| Education | Portsmouth University |
| Known for | Fine art |
| Spouse(s) | Philippa Perry |
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| Patron(s) | Charles Saatchi |
Sir Grayson Perry (born 24 March 1960) is a famous English artist. He is well-known for his unique ceramic vases and large tapestries. He also shares his thoughts on the modern art world.
Perry's vases look like classic pottery but are covered in bright colors and surprising images. His art often includes parts of his own life. You might see pictures of "Claire," his female alter-ego, or "Alan Measles," his childhood teddy bear. He has also made TV shows and written books about art and his life.
His art has been shown in big museums around the world. These include The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan. His work is also kept in important collections like the Tate and Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
In 2003, Perry won the Turner Prize, a very important award for artists. He was the first ceramic artist to win it. In 2008, he was named one of the "100 most powerful people in British culture."
Contents
Early Life and Art Journey
Grayson Perry grew up in a working-class family. When he was four, his father left. His mother remarried, and he had a difficult childhood. To cope, he created a fantasy world with his teddy bear. He believes these early experiences helped shape his artistic style.
Perry went to King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford. His art teacher encouraged him to study art. He then went to Braintree College and later to Portsmouth College of Art and Design. He graduated in 1982. He showed his first pottery piece in London in 1980.
Grayson Perry's Personal Life
Grayson Perry lives in north London with his wife, Philippa Perry. She is an author and psychotherapist. They have a daughter named Florence, who was born in 1992.
In 2015, he became the chancellor of the University of the Arts London. This is an important role at a major art university. Perry also enjoys mountain biking and motorcycling.
His Amazing Artworks
Besides pottery, Grayson Perry creates art using many different methods. He works with printmaking, drawing, embroidery, and other textile arts. He also makes films and does performances.
Ceramic Art and Vases
In 2002, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam held a special show of his work called Guerrilla Tactics. This exhibition helped him win the Turner Prize in 2003. It was a big moment for ceramic art.
Perry's pottery often mixes ideas from different art traditions. These include ancient Greek pottery and traditional folk art.
Tapestries: Stories in Fabric
In 2009, Perry created a huge tapestry called The Walthamstow Tapestry. It is 15 meters long and 3 meters tall. This giant artwork shows hundreds of brand names. It also features large figures moving through different stages of life, from birth to death.
In 2012, Perry made a TV show called All In The Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry. This series explored how different social classes in the UK show their "taste." For the show, he created a series of large tapestries called The Vanity of Small Differences. These tapestries were inspired by William Hogarth's famous artworks. Perry said they tell a story about how people move between social classes. He believes that the social class we grow up in strongly affects our artistic taste.
He also designed two large tapestries for A House for Essex in 2015. These were called The Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope.
Grayson Perry in the Media
Television Shows
Grayson Perry has been featured in many TV documentaries. In 2006, he was the subject of an episode of The South Bank Show. In 2011, he was featured in an Imagine documentary.
His three-part series for Channel 4, All In The Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry, aired in 2012. In this show, Perry explored the idea of "taste" among different social classes in the UK. He looked at what people buy and how they express themselves. He then turned his experiences into the large tapestries called The Vanity of Small Differences.
In 2014, he presented Who Are You? for Channel 4. In this series, he created unique portraits for the National Portrait Gallery, London. He painted people from different backgrounds, exploring their identities.
In 2016, he presented Grayson Perry: All Man, a series that looked at what it means to be a man today. In 2018, he explored Rites of Passage in another Channel 4 series. This show focused on important life events like birth, marriage, and death. Perry compared how people in the UK deal with these events to how others do it around the world.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Perry hosted Grayson's Art Club from his home studio. He encouraged viewers to create and share their own art during lockdown. The public's artwork was planned for an exhibition.
In 2020, Channel 4 broadcast Grayson Perry's Big American Road Trip. Perry traveled across the US on a motorbike. He explored big issues like race, class, and identity in America.
Writing and Lectures
Perry was an arts writer for The Times newspaper for a while. He wrote a weekly column until 2007.
In 2013, he gave the BBC Reith Lectures. These are a series of important talks. In his talks, called Playing to the Gallery, he discussed the state of art in the 21st century. He later turned these lectures into a book.
Honors and Awards
Grayson Perry has received many honors for his contributions to art. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013. In 2023, he was knighted, becoming Sir Grayson Perry.
- 2003: Turner Prize
- 2005: Royal Television Society award for Why Men Wear Frocks
- 2012: Visual Arts award for The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman
- 2021: Erasmus Prize: He received this award for his unique visual language. The prize recognized how he shows that art is for everyone, not just a select few. He was also praised for tackling important social and cultural issues in his work.
Collections
Grayson Perry's artworks are held in many important collections, including:
- British Council Collection and the Arts Council Collection: This includes his The Vanity of Small Differences tapestries.
- Crafts Council, London: They have his Mad Kid's Bedroom Wall Pot (1996) and two tapestries from The Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope.
- Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield, UK: Home to his Comfort Blanket tapestry.
- Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Amsterdam
- Tate, London
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Swindon Museum and Art Gallery
See also
In Spanish: Grayson Perry para niños
