SIR GRAYSON PERRY C.B.E, R.A. (BRITISH 1960-) FOR SELFRIDGES & CO.
ALAN MEASLES EVENING BAG, 2010
numbered 124/300 in black ink (to label) and with original Selfridges & Co. label, embroidered cotton with embellishments Manufactured by Kit Grover.
33cm x 24cm (13in x 9½in)
Private Collection, London.
“I’ve never seen myself as a potter or as part of the crafts movement. I am a conceptual artist masquerading as a craftsman” Grayson Perry Controversial, creative and incredibly humorous, Sir Grayson Perry CBE RA Hon FRIBA (1960 -) has dominated media headlines for over 20 years since winning the Turner Prize in 2003. Delighting in the combination of opposites, Perry’s work creates an intriguing fusion between form and content by transforming classical objects with unexpected or explicit imagery. In this way Perry captivates his audience, simultaneously stimulating feelings of attraction and surprise.   We are delighted to feature selected works by Perry showcasing the artist’s use of different media. Rising to fame as a potter, Perry challenged the art world by championing a medium traditionally considered a craft rather than a fine art. Within his early ceramic work, This Crude Charger Was Wrought on the 20th of January for the Serving of an Aphrodisiac before the Consummation of a Godless Orgy, 1984, Perry questions the boundaries of respectability. By contrasting traditional images of noblemen dressed in their best with a title suggestive of riotous behaviour, Perry illustrates two different sides to human nature. Respectability, however, was the last thing on Perry’s mind when he created Untitled, 2005 and gifted it to his godson for his 18th birthday. Capturing the spirit of youth in a uniquely Perry way, the artist created a coming-of-age gift that is sure to have surprised the recipient.  “I love religion – it’s just the belief bit I have a problem with”  Grayson Perry Strong religious themes run throughout Perry’s monumental work Map of Nowhere, 2008, which references early medieval cartography, and particularly the German Ebstorf map. However rather than placing Jesus at the centre of the world, Perry courts controversy by inserting himself claiming, “my daughter always accuses me of setting myself up as God, so I made the lakes and rivers into my body”. Further intrigue is generated by substituting place names for modern day experiences including ‘internet dating’ and ‘binge drinking’ to encourage reflection on the relationship between experience and place. Perry’s sense of humour is also never far away, thus should anybody believe that he is taking himself too seriously, his work is quick to address this. In this case, the shaft of light coming directly from Perry’s bottom illuminating the world beneath cannot fail to raise a wry smile. Perry’s artistic sense of humour is often compared to 18th and 19th century caricaturists William Hogarth, James Gillray and George Cruikshank, whilst his drawing style and enjoyment of social comment, erotica and the grotesque are reminiscent of the work of Otto Dix and George Grosz. (See Klein, Jacky, Grayson Perry, Thames and Hudson, London, 2013, pp10-11.)  Within Recipe for Humanity, 2005, Perry further explores concepts of God and religion. Crafted in the style of a traditional sampler it features a joyous scene of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, inspired by American Folk Art. However rather than include traditional religious references, Perry disrupts convention by instead quoting renowned psychotherapist Irwin D. Yalom’s ‘Four Givens of Life’: you will die, you are alone, there isn’t a God and life is meaningless apart from the meaning you give it. As a result, the viewer is attracted by the colourful imagery, yet provoked by its accompanying commentary. “In life, as in art, I have been dusted with the perversion brush” Grayson Perry Perry’s love of traditional craft is evident within lot 479, the Sissy and Flow fabrics (2008) which reflect artistic changes in traditional Aghan rug weaving following the Soviet occupation of their lands. Alongside traditional flowers, wildlife and geometric patterns, weavers began to depict tanks, landmines, artillery and aircraft. Strong themes of war are also apparent in the textiles presented here; however, Perry softens the overall design by overlaying pink lacy borders and surrounding them with flowers, bows and high-heeled shoes. In doing so Perry questions traditional ideas of masculinity and brings an autobiographical dimension to the design by referencing his own transvestism.  Alan Measles: teddy bear, alter ego and now cult object has become one of Perry’s most popular and enduring motifs. Featuring in works as diverse as Vote Alan Measles for God, Outsider Alan, and The Near Death and Enlightenment of Alan Measles, Alan’s persona is under constant re-invention. Alan is the sole focus of the handbag in the present collection, lot 480, depicted on one side as happy and joyous in a pretty dress and bow reminiscent of Perry’s alter ego Claire. On the other side Alan is stripped back, naked and seemingly angry. Whilst Perry may be depicting his own personalities through the guise of his childhood toy, he is also offering the wearer the opportunity to do the same by displaying the side of the handbag which best represents them in that moment. It is perhaps people’s ability to relate and interact with Perry’s work in this way which makes it so enduringly popular.