Grayson Perry Exhibition

I went to see the Grayson Perry exhibition 'The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman' last week at the British Museum. I thought it was excellent and a real celebration of craftspeople through the ages, to the present day. I like to see pieces that are well made and skillfully put together. This exhibition contains both. As Grayson says ' The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman is a memorial to makers and builders, all those countless un-named skilled individuals who have made the beautiful man-made wonders of history..'

I also really like the quote by the polymath Jacob Bronowski (I found out something new today - a polymath is someone who is an expert in several fields. Leonardo de Vinci was also a polymath) Anyway, Bronowski said 'The most powerful drive in the ascent of man is his pleasure in his own skill. He loves to do what he does well and, having doen it well, he loves to do it better. You see it in his science. You see it in the magnificence with which he carves and builds, the loving care, the gaiety, the effrontery. The monuments are supposed to commemorate kings and religions, heroes, dogmas, but in the end, the man they commemmorate is the builder.'

The exibition is a combination of Perry's latest work and artefacts from  the British Museum's vast collections. In some instances it is difficult to work out which is Perry's work and which belong to the BM. Two helmets are of particular note here. The one I thought that was made by Perry was in fact a Ceremonial headdress from Ghana (19th century) and the helmet which I thought looked ancient was in fact made by Perry in 1981:

Ceremonial headress, Asante, Ghana (19th century)

Grayson Perry 'Early English Motorcycle Helmet' 1981 (Aluminium)

Grayson Perry's pots are amazingly crafted and detailed. The decals and images drawn directly onto the clay are skillfully thought out and placed with precision onto the surface. But they aren't just pots, they are comments on aspects of our current culture and society.

The Rosetta Vase (detail) Grayson Perry, 2011

His work is incredibly detailed and thought out. As well as his pots, I really liked his cast iron work which was cast in an iron foundry by craftspeople that Perry acknowledges in his exhibition guide. Again, the work is highly detailed such as 'Our Mother' shown below:

Our Mother, Grayson Perry, 2009

So all hail to Grayson Perry! His work is amazing, but I also agree with his thoughts on contemporary art. The notion that art isn't special enough anymore, that the concept has become more important than the art itself, or even that there only has to be a concept and no art. I think there has to be both, without concepts and ideas behind a work of art, then it is just a hobby, or something to look nice on a wall at home. But neither do I agree with the notion that a concept is enough. Duchamp submitted his 'Fountain' sculpture nearly 100 years ago and I agree with Grayson Perry when he says that the idea is worn out and dated. Perry's work is both thought-provoking and skillfully made. I think his work is special and when I look at it I think 'I couldn't do that, nor could I come up with the idea for it'. For me, that's what great art is.

P.S. Have just read Brian Sewell's review of this exhibition. Why did I do it when I know he is a dinosaur and is obviously out of touch with Contemporary Art if he thinks that pots can't be 'art' grrrr! I don't think I have read one review of his that has been positive.