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British Museum Opens Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

The British Museum presents Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman an new exhibition on view 6 October 2011 – 19 February 2012.

Grayson Perry curates an installation of his new works alongside objects made by unknown men and women throughout history from the British Museum’s collection.

Perry will take take you to an afterlife conjured from his imaginary world, exploring a range of themes connected with notions of craftsmanship and sacred journeys – from shamanism, magic and holy relics to motorbikes, identity and contemporary culture.
Vases covered in witty captions, elaborate tapestries and the centrepiece, a richly decorated cast iron coffin-ship, will be displayed alongside objects from the past two million years of culture and civilisation. From the first great invention, the hand axe, to a Hello Kitty pilgrim hand-towel, you will discover a reality that is old and new, poetic and factual, and funny as well as grim.

Grayson Perry (born 1960, Chelmsford) is an English artist, known mainly for his ceramic vases and cross-dressing. Perry’s vases have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, depicting subjects at odds with their attractive appearance. There is a strong autobiographical element in his work, in which images of Perry as “Claire”, his female alter-ego, often appear. He was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003. – Wikipedia

Image: Grayson Perry (b. 1960), The Rosetta Vase, 2011. © Grayson Perry. Courtesy Victoria Miro Gallery, London.

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