Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur

Disappointing exhibition at the Wallace Collection of new work by Grayson Perry to mark his 65th birthday.

I loved the art works in the show but found the narrative of it over engineered. As well as responding to the collection Perry had invented an artist called Shirley Smith who herself as an  alter ego – the Honourable Millicent Wallace, rightful heir to Hertford House, where the Wallace Collection is housed. Add in a strange introductory section on two outsider artists and I for one was a bit confused.

The pieces would have worked well without this added layer just as responses got the collection. My favourite was a tapestry bringing together images from the collection in bright colours. Sadly there was no place you could stand and photograph the whole but have this section from it instead. As ever there were some interesting ceramics with fascinating commentary from Perry on the ideas behind them. I loved the big bold carpet in the last room and his take on a medieval ewer.

My other issue with the show is that it was cramped. The space was just too small for the work created and it was hard to step back from it or to stop and contemplate the ideas. What with lack of space and too many people, most of them grappling with the audio tour, I found I got sensory overload very quickly. I had hoped the work would be shown around the museum which would have set up more direct dialogues with the collection and give the work more room to speak.

Closes 26 October 2025

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