Grayson Perry

'I have never read such a stimulating short guide to art' Lynn Barber, Sunday Times Now Grayson Perry is a fully paid-up member of the art establishment, he wants to show that any of us can appreciate art (after all, there is a reason he's called this book Playing to the Gallery and not 'Sucking up to an Academic Elite'). Based on his hugely popular BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures and full of pictures, this funny, personal journey through the art world answers the basic questions that might occur to us in an art gallery but seem too embarrassing to ask.

What does it mean to be male in the 21st Century? Award-winning artist Grayson Perry explores what masculinity is: from sex to power, from fashion to career prospects, and what it could become—with illustrations throughout. In this witty and necessary new book, artist Grayson Perry trains his keen eye on the world of men to ask, what sort of man would make the world a better place? What would happen if we rethought the macho, outdated version of manhood, and embraced a different ideal? In the current atmosphere of bullying, intolerance and misogyny, demonstrated in the recent Trump versus Clinton presidential campaign, The Descent of Man is a timely and essential addition to current conversations around gender. Apart from gaining vast new wardrobe options, the real benefit might be that a newly fitted masculinity will allow men to have better relationships—and that’s happiness, right? Grayson Perry admits he’s not immune from the stereotypes himself—yet his thoughts on everything from power to physical appearance, from emotions to a brand new Manifesto for Men, are shot through with honesty, tenderness, and the belief that, for everyone to benefit, updating masculinity has to be something men decide to do themselves. They have nothing to lose but their hang-ups.

A new examination of the early ceramic work of the world’s most famous potter, Grayson Perry, this book includes previously lost and unpublished pieces. Grayson Perry was the first ceramicist to win the Turner Prize, the internationally renowned award for the best young British Artist. He rapidly established a unique brand as “the transvestite potter.” This book examines the plates, pots, and statues from the 1980s to the mid-1990s with which he established his career. Perry sold many of his early pieces for modest sums and subsequently lost track of their whereabouts. With the help of an international art treasure hunt this book brings together both his known and previously lost and undocumented pieces. Accompanying Perry’s traveling exhibition, which opens at the Holburne Museum, Bath, in January 2020, this book features full color illustrations of his seminal ceramic works from this period. As well as an essay from the artist and critical essays from experts on Perry’s work.

A major new monograph on the work of celebrated and controversial British artist Grayson Perry.

"Perry's embrace of decoration becomes a springboard into a dazzling range of forms and surfaces; his keen sense of adornment also helps to shape questions about human nature, politics, and aesthetic choices." --Fiberarts

There are some artists for whom 'popular' is a bit of a dirty word. Grayson Perry is not one of them. He thinks art shouldn't be an exclusive club for people who 'get' it, but for everyone - that's why his new show is called The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! This accompanying book contains all his latest works, in full colour - including his much-discussed 'Leave' and 'Remain' pots, and creations inspired by his recent TV series All Man - along with an introduction by Grayson, his sketches and his commentary on each piece, explaining the thinking behind them. The images and words here explore populism, celebrity, masculinity, identity, Britain today and Grayson himself. They invite us to look again at the things we think we know, and show us that nothing, not even Brexit, is black and white.

Every inch of Grayson's childhood bedroom was covered with pictures of aeroplanes, and every surface with models. Fantasy took over his life, in a world of battles ruled by his teddy bear, Alan Measles. He grew up. And in 2003, an acclaimed ceramic artist, he accepted the Turner Prize as his alter-ego Clare, wearing his best dress, with a bow in his hair. Now he tells his own story, his voice beautifully caught by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones. Early childhood in Chelmsford, Essex is a rural Eden that ends abruptly with the arrival of his stepfather, leading to constant swerving between his parents' houses, and between boys' and women's clothes. But as Grayson enters art college and discovers the world of London squats and New Romanticism, he starts to find himself. At last he steps out as a potter and transvestite.

During the pandemic, Grayson Perry helped the nation find comfort and company through art during the hit TV series Grayson's Art Club by Swan Films for Channel 4. Each week Grayson hosted the show from his studio with his wife, Philippa (and often their cat, Kevin). Using video chat, Grayson spoke to famous artists and creatives about how they were spending their time and invited them to respond creatively to lockdown. Each week had a different theme - family, nature, food, dreams, work, and travel. Members of the public were also invited to share their own artworks and over 17,000 entries were submitted throughout series two in a vast range of mediums - from paintings and photography, to ceramics and textiles. Collectively, the artworks are powerful and very personal responses to the pandemic and form a lasting artistic record of the unprecedented times the nation experienced together. The artworks from season two are collected here to catalogue the exhibition at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery