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The biggest contemporary exhibition ever held at the museum, Grayson Perry: Delusi of Bagungan It will include ceramics, rugs, furniture and collage, displayed in addition to several works of the great Wallace Collection who help inspire and form Perry’s vision for this Tengara exhibition.
New works, each made directly on the collection, combining various mixed media and styles that Perry has perfected his long and famous career. Reflecting the broad and variations of Wallace collections, artists have used the widest techniques, genres, and shapes that he has ever used for one show.
Perry has a long relationship with wealth at Hertford House. Intrigued by the contrast of extreme femininity from the 18th century French Rococo with open -arms and armor masculinity, the artist remembered by this dichotomy as a young artist when he saw a famous collection of collections from Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher (1703 -1770). The role of rigid gender historically has been a repeated subject throughout Perry’s career for decades, and this exhibition will also reflect the theme.
Delusion of greatness will interrogate the nature of making our crafts and encouragement for perfectionism. Complicated handmade objects will be displayed in addition to works made with digital technology – comparing objects that may take thousands of hours to make the possible ones by clicking the button. Through this contrast approach, Perry will ask the audience to reflect on questions about the authenticity and role of artists in the future.
As part of this question, Delusion of greatness Will also focus on ‘outside art’ with the inclusion of works by Aloïse Corbaz and Madge Gill. Triggered by the discovery that Madge Gill (1882-1961) was exhibited at Wallace Collection in 1942, the life and work of outsider artists had helped open Perry’s own response, which also took advantage of his own childhood experience. When developing the exhibition, Shirley Smith’s fictional personality appeared, a woman who woke up at Hertford House after the mental health crisis and confidence she became the heir of treasure that surrounded him. Through the portrait of the ancestors and copies of the old master, this imagined life will touch real stories, influences, and difficult experiences that can be heard by art.
Opening on the 65th anniversary of the artist, Grayson Perry: Delusi of Bagungan Offering complicated comments about the nature of making and gathering art. Touching various themes, including the creation of domestic space and how it causes a sense of security, gender decoration, and perfection felt by the authenticity, this exhibition will be the main moment for one of the most respected artists in the country.
Grayson perry says:
Making an exhibition with a museum has always been a source of joy for me, inaugurating my lifetime interest in interpreting the artifacts again through my own lens. Working with Wallace Collection has offered both unique excitement and challenges: I am captivated by the expertise seen in the collection, but I struggled with a luxurious aesthetics that I found at certain times. Fortunately, I worked on a strategy that helped me find a new perspective. I am very grateful to Xavier Bray for planting the seeds of this exhibition in my head and to the staff and guardians of Wallace Collection for allowing me to play in their jewelry box.
Xavier Bray, Director of Wallace Collection, said:
Grayson Perry is an artist involved with the world unlike the others. His work resonates with viewers – questioning, provoking, and reflecting the contemporary community from Luhur to the absurd. Is a privilege to work with him at this exhibition. When we together gave me a new perspective on collections, and I could not wait to share the vision with the public.
Grayson Perry: Delusion of greatness, March 28 – October 26, 2025Wallace Collection
