Grayson Perry at the British Museum

Not being a Grayson Perry fan, I visited the exhibition which he is curating at the British Museum not knowing what to expect. In the event, I was impressed and intrigued.  Works by the artist are set in the context of treasures held by the museum, together with short explanatory texts.  The range of artifacts is extraordinary and thought-provoking; Perry’s own work extends far beyond his trade-mark pots and the accompanying notes all do without pretentious art-speak. The title of the show,  The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, is well chosen and his words on craftsmanship are well repeating. ‘Craftsmanship is often equated with precision but I think there is more to it. I feel it is most important to have a long and sympathetic hands-on relationship with materials. A relaxed, humble, ever-curious love of stuff is central to my idea of being an artist. An important quality of great art of the past was the pure skill of the artist’s use of materials. In celebrating craftsmanship, I also salute artists, well most of them.’