1. An artist for everyone
There are very few artists who are able to be accepted and appreciated by such a vast cross section of society and this is something Shrigley does extremely well. His work and appeal are multi-accessible and neatly straddle all sides of the market.
Over the past two decades he has built up a significant collector following who see his works via his international gallery network or on the booths of art fairs including Art Basel and Frieze or under the hammer at the world leading auction houses. He was even shortlisted for the Turner prize in 2013 with a naked urinating statue.
And yet somehow he is also just as much at home and appreciated by ordinary people who simply enjoy his perfectly tuned deadpan humour on an ever increasing array of accessible merchandise or indeed public installations.
2. An artist of everything
Drawing is very much at the centre of Shrigley’s practice, however, he also excels across an extensive range of alternative media including sculpture, large-scale installation, animation, painting, photography, and music.
He collaborates with luxury brands such as Ruinart purveyors of fine champagne and the quirky Mayfair tea-room/swish restaurant Sketch whilst finding the time to write music, and poetry and after a long hiatus has even taken up the guitar again.
3. One million Instagram followers and counting...
One million followers on Instagram used to be a level only celebrities could aspire to. Nowadays whilst there may be less of a cache in having such a following it further demonstrates Shrigley's universal appeal and the power of audience.
4. He stacks up at auction
For those with an interest in art as investment as well as for enjoyment then you may be pleased to learn Shrigley’s works have performed well at auction over the past five years, with some selling for well over their original prices. The percentage of prints exceeding their high estimate currently stands at a very respectable 39%. Compare that with Damien Hirst at 31% and David Hockney at 44% and the numbers look good.
His auction market is buoyant and Shrigley's works tend to attract keen interest. It's also worth noting that there have been over $1m worth of sales at auction for Shrigley works in 2022 alone which is already greater than the total amount in 2021 which stood at $818,000.
