Editorial / Artists

Grayson Perry's Smash Hits opens at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh

24 Jul 2023 | 3 min read

Full-time Turner Prize-winning artist and part-time national TV host, Grayson Perry, is presenting his largest and most comprehensive solo exhibition to date at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Grayson Perry: Smash Hits opens at Royal Scottish Academy and takes a look back at the career of one of Britain’s most celebrated cultural figures.

Smash Hits opens at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh.

PA Media

"I feel honoured, excited and also daunted by the thought of seeing the largest ever exhibition of my work this summer in Edinburgh... These objects contain so much for me, my hopes, my ideas, my lusts, my laughter, my pride, my love. What they contain more than anything is my time. Forty smashing years."

Grayson Perry

The exhibition showcases over 80 of Perry's works, including intricate tapestries, outrageous ceramics, prints and paintings, spanning his 40-year career. The exhibition features early works to recent large-scale tapestries along with new works created for this exhibition. Perry's works are known for their ornate and witty designs, with some pieces created during his early days as an aspiring artist. Visitors can expect to see vivid tapestries and irreverent reinterpretations of medieval beer flagons among the displays.

The agreement allegedly happened last year when Patrick Elliot, Chief Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, reached out to the artist. Elliot says, "Everyone wants a piece of him. But he's never had a retrospective in Britain before which is extraordinary... This is the biggest exhibition he's ever done and I thought it would suit his work perfectly."

The exhibition takes a look at Perry's entire body of work.

National Galleries of Scotland

Featuring several known works from acclaimed past exhibitions.

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Showcasing smash hits such as his rarely exhibited 15-metre-long Walthamstow Tapestry which satirises our modern day obsession with shopping and brand names, alongside other seminal pieces like his cast iron ship Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, the show hosts much of Perry's acclaimed pieces with ample breathing room.

As part of the display, selected items from his recent Channel 4 series "Grayson Perry's Full English" will also be featured. In the show, Grayson Perry travels around the country as he uncovers what Englishness means to people today. Perry often explores various themes related to identity in his work, such as masculinity, sexuality, class, religion, politics, amongst others. Visitors will be sure to encounter Perry's sharp wit and immutable social commentary.

Perry's The Upper Class at Bay tapestry (2012)

Victoria Miro

John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland, says, "This exhibition, the biggest Grayson Perry show ever held anywhere in the world, offers a unique opportunity for visitors to discover the scope of the artist’s practice."

The exhibition continues to November 12 2023.