Grayson Perry – Julie Cope’s Grand Tour: The Story of a Life at Shipley Art Gallery

A Crafts Council touring exhibition  (5 May – 28 July 2018) of two large-scale tapestries which represent, in Perry's words, ‘the trials, tribulations, celebrations and mistakes of an average life’. 

Historically, large-scale tapestry provided insulation for grand domestic interiors; Perry has juxtaposed its associations of status, wealth and heritage with the current concerns of class, social aspiration and taste. To write Julie’s biography, he looked to the English ballad and folktale tradition, narrating a life that conveys the beauty, vibrancy and contradictions of the ordinary individual.

The narrative originated in Perry’s A House for Essex (2012–15). Designed by Perry with FAT architects for Living Architecture, and located on the Stour Estuary at Wrabness, this residential secular chapel is dedicated to Julie Cope and serves as the artist’s tribute to the people with whom he grew up.

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Image: Grayson Perry, In Its Familiarity, Golden (detail), 2015

Crafts Council Collection: Purchase supported by Art Fund (with a contribution from The Wolfson Foundation), Maylis and James Grand, Victoria Miro and other private donors

Courtesy the Artist, Paragon Press, and Victoria Miro, London

© Grayson Perry