Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur

Sir Grayson Perry (b.1960) marks his 65th birthday by creating and curating a new exhibition at the Wallace Collection, a museum that has inspired him throughout his life.

The Collection’s famous Portrait of Madame de Pompadour (1759) by François Boucher (1703-1770) has long fascinated Perry, as have a great many other pieces in the London museum including its superb group of English miniatures and an early 18th-century bronze of Mezzetin, soulfully strumming his guitar.

For this exhibition, Perry has created a fictional persona, Shirley Smith, who wakes up in Hertford House after a mental health crisis and believes herself to be the rightful heir to such treasures – and indeed, the entire Wallace Collection.

Through this persona, a series of new artworks have been made – inspired and influenced by those in the Collection – intended to decorate an imagined family home, complete with ancestral portraits, old masters and priceless antiques. As such, Delusions of Grandeur presents this new fantasy world alongside existing items Perry has selected from the Collection. The exhibition is redolent with a variety of themes, including the meaning of home and how it creates a sense of

safety, the gendering of decoration, and perceived perfection versus authenticity. Through the backstory of Shirley Smith, covering episodes of mental health and trauma, the exhibition inherently demonstrates the transformative and healing nature of art.

Delusions of Grandeur will present Perry’s new works in a variety of media; ceramics, sculpture, textile and painting, which themselves complement the diversity and variety of objects found within the Wallace Collection itself.

This landmark birthday exhibition will also be a meditation and introspection for Perry. At 65, is he now at the height of his powers? What does it mean to move from an ‘outsider’ artist to a national treasure, and how does that influence his work? What is the future of craftsmanship in the age of digital technology, and what will his legacy be?