Grayson Perry (Born March 24, 1960 in Chelmsford, England) is an English artist specializing in pottery, winner of the Turner Prize in 2003, an award given to the best visual artist in Britain of the year. His art uses his childhood as inspiration, which led him to develop a taste for transvestite in his teens (Vogue, 2014).
He was born in the town of Chelmsford, Essex County. He was the first of two children in his family, attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, graduated as a Fine Arts Bachelor at Portsmouth Polytechnic in 1982 and had his first exposure to pottery in 1983. His work manifests Styles and traditions (The Independent, 2013).
Your childhood and first artistic steps
Son of Jean Dine and Tom Perry, Grayson had a difficult upbringing; When he was five years old his parents separated. His stepfather was afraid of him, described by Grayson himself as someone of great physical strength and uncertain temperament, so he explains that he avoided it whenever he could and never had a conversation (The Guardian, 2006).
Seeking an escape into his family environment, Grayson hid in his father's former retreat where he imagined a fantasy world with his teddy bear Alan Measles. In her teenage years she realized that she was a transvestite. Now when she dresses in women's clothes, she calls herself Claire (Vogue, 2014).
At age 15 he visited his father after a friend made him know where he lived. When his mother found out, he threw him out of the house and went to live with his father Tom and his stepmother. This coexistence did not last long, her stepsister read her diary and discovered her habit of dressing as a woman. His stepmother did not allow him to live with them anymore and returned with his mother Jean and his violent stepfather (The Guardian, 2006).
University studies and artistic career
Despite these incidents, he was able to get good grades and go to art school. When he went to the Portsmouth Polytechnic his stepfather told him never to return, neither of his parents attended his graduation and only received a Christmas card from his father. The last thing he heard from his mother were the words he told his girlfriend Philippa after the announcement that they would marry:"I can not believe you're going to marry a transvestite." Her only family contact is with Helen, sister two years younger than Perry (The Guardian, 2006).
In 1982 Grayson graduated from college as a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Continuing his studies he met Phillipa in creative writing classes. She is a psychotherapist and writer and knew of the existence of her alter ego Claire from the beginning. Both have a daughter named Florence (The Independent, 2013).
Consolidation as an artist
His first major presentation was in 2002, titled"Guerrilla Tactics"and was shown at the Stadelijik Museum in Amsterdam. In that same year he launched his graphic novel"The Cycle of Violence".
In 2003 he was awarded the Turner Prize, Perry accepted the Pastorcite dress award and joked:"It was time for a potter transvestite to win this award." The following year was the beginning of Project Grayson Perry, who seeks to create, design and make a dress for her alter ego Claire. The project summons several stylists and Perry personally examines the best dresses, each year buying designers around $ 600 each (Vogue, 2014).
In 2006, Perry released his autobiography"Portrait of the Artist as a Little Girl"in collaboration with his personal friend Wendy Jones. About the book, Perry himself says"it's like seeing my own feet, I feel so close to me that I can not tell if it's good or not"(The Guardian, 2006).
In 2011 Grayson designed a suitcase for the Louis Vuitton brand, blending the tradition of the brand with its colorful and challenging work. Later that same year he collaborated again with the brand in the work"The tomb of the unknown craftsman"exhibited in the British Show of Museums.
Perry created in 2012 a series of upholstery entitled"The Vanity of Small Differences"which was exhibited at the Victoria Miro Art Gallery in England. Shortly after Grayson won the British Academy Film Award 2013 in the category of best factual specialist program, a genre that explores the world and makes him think about it in a different way. Perry's show was titled"Everything with the best taste possible, with Grayson Perry"(Vogue, 2014).
He currently produces about 25 pieces of pottery a year, also has ventured into artistic embroidery, sculpture and art prints (The Guardian, 2006).
Artistic influences
His early influences came from the search for a surrogate father at an early age, imagining fantastic worlds. His teddy bear Alan Measley was that paternal figure (The Independent, 2013).
In his work Perry exteriorizes his experiences of childhood and adolescence that gave way to his alter ego Claire, with explicit sexual images sometimes. In Grayson's words,"one of the great things about pottery is that it is not shocking, so I can be as scandalous as I want to, the police will not come to invade a pottery show"(The Guardian, 2006).
It is a reference in Perry's works the pictorial satire of William Hogarth, an English artist of the 18th century considered one of the founders of the genre (Tate Art Gallery, 2007). Grayson also takes into account the work of Martin Parr, a documentary photographer, who is his personal friend and considers his art as poignant. His work focuses on anthropomorphic, intimate and satirical scenes (Vogue, 2014).
References
- Tate Art Gallery. (1 January 2007). Tate Art Gallery Website . Retrieved on December 15, 2016, from Tate Art Gallery Website.
- The Guardian. (4 February 2006). The Guardian Website . Retrieved on December 15, 2016, from The Guardian Website.
- The Guardian. (8 January 2006). The Guardian Website . Retrieved on December 15, 2016, from The Guardian Website.
- The Independent. (October 11, 2013). The Independent Website . Retrieved on December 15, 2016, from The Independent Website.
- Vogue. (March 21, 2014). Vogue UK Website . Retrieved on December 15, 2016, from Vogue UK Website.