# Grayson Perry artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/grayson-perry/
Profile generated: 2026-05-03T05:02:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: English, British
- Movements: Contemporary British Art
- Common media: Ceramics (glazed earthenware vases), Tapestries (woven textiles), Prints and editions, Metalwork (cast iron, bronze)

## About Grayson Perry

Sir Grayson Perry (born 1960, Chelmsford, England) is an English artist, writer, and broadcaster whose work spans ceramics, tapestry, printmaking, and metalwork. He rose to wide public attention after winning the Turner Prize in 2003 — the first ceramicist to receive the award — and has since become one of Britain's most recognizable contemporary artists. Perry is known for his richly decorated ceramic vases that blend classical form with satirical imagery addressing class, gender, identity, and consumer culture. His large-scale woven tapestries, such as The Vanity of Small Differences, extend these themes into narrative sequences drawn from modern British life. A member of the Royal Academy and a 2020 Erasmus Prize laureate, Perry also performs in drag as his alter ego Claire. Major institutions including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art hold his work, and his practice consistently bridges the gap between the contemporary art world and popular audiences.

## Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Perry's wheel-thrown and hand-built ceramic vases, which feature sgraffito decoration, glazed surfaces, and figurative or text-based imagery. Woven tapestries — often large-format, commercially produced yet designed by the artist — form a second major category. Prints and silkscreen editions, cast-iron and bronze sculptures, and embroidered or textile-based works also appear at auction. Subject matter frequently draws on British social class, gender identity, autobiography, and contemporary consumer culture. Works are typically signed and may carry edition numbers for prints or multiples.

## Market and appraisal context

Grayson Perry maintains a deep and liquid secondary market spanning over two decades, with 477 auction lots recorded by Appraisily (332 with realized prices) and appearances at ten or more auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, and Forum Auctions. The price distribution is wide: prints and small editions trade from approximately £90–£1,200, while unique ceramics regularly command five-figure sums (e.g., 'Scorched Earth' realized £35,560 at Christie's in October 2025), and top-tier unique vases have reached £632,750. Median prices sit at £4,750 with the 75th percentile at £25,400, indicating a healthy middle market anchored by medium-scale ceramics and editioned works. Liquidity has been stable, with 50 priced lots in the most recent 12-month period versus 55 in the prior 12 months, showing consistent throughput without dramatic volume swings.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Grayson Perry maintains a deep and liquid secondary market spanning over two decades, with 477 auction lots recorded by Appraisily (332 with realized prices) and appearances at ten or more auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, and Forum Auctions. The price distribution is wide: prints and small editions trade from approximately £90–£1,200, while unique ceramics regularly command five-figure sums (e.g., 'Scorched Earth' realized £35,560 at Christie's in October 2025), and top-tier unique vases have reached £632,750. Median prices sit at £4,750 with the 75th percentile at £25,400, indicating a healthy middle market anchored by medium-scale ceramics and editioned works. Liquidity has been stable, with 50 priced lots in the most recent 12-month period versus 55 in the prior 12 months, showing consistent throughput without dramatic volume swings.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses these auction records as comparable-sale evidence and cross-references them with the specific work's photographs, dimensions, medium, glaze or textile technique, signature or edition numbering, condition report, exhibition history, and documented provenance. For Perry's ceramics, glaze quality, iconographic complexity, and thematic significance (e.g., autobiographical or gender-themed vases) can materially differentiate value within the same broad price band. For prints and editions, edition size, medium (screenprint on paper vs. printed fabric or cotton panel), and whether the work is from a named series (e.g., The Vanity of Small Differences, Six Snapshots of Julie) are key differentiators. Production plates and commercial editions (e.g., 'Map of Days' bone china for the National Portrait Gallery) trade in a lower tier and should be identified as such rather than confused with studio originals.

### Valuation factors

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### Collector notes

- Perry's auction market is broad but stratified: entry-level collectors will find production plates, small screenprints, and fabric panels priced between £90 and £600 at UK regional houses such as Forum Auctions and Mallams. Mid-range buyers targeting unique ceramics should budget £4,000–£35,000 depending on scale and complexity, with Christie's and Sotheby's as primary sources. Top-tier vases have exceeded £500,000 and are rare at auction. Buyers should verify that a lot is a studio original rather than a licensed production item (e.g., 'Map of Days' plates, 'Grayson's Art Club' editions) — these are collectible but valued in a different bracket. The recent 12-month volume (50 lots) is stable, suggesting steady sell-through rather than a glut, which is a positive signal for retention of value.

### Market caveats

- All prices cited are in GBP and reflect hammer or realized prices at auction; buyer's premiums and fees are excluded and will increase the effective cost.
- Production and licensed editions (bone china plates, printed cotton panels) are frequently offered at auction and should not be used as comparables for unique studio ceramics.
- Approximately 30% of recorded lots (145 of 477) lack a realized price, indicating either unsold lots or results not yet reported; this may slightly skew the distribution.
- Edition sizes, specific print media, and series attributions were not fully enumerated in the source pack; professional appraisal should verify these details against catalogue raisonné or gallery records.
- Perry is an actively producing living artist; new works and exhibitions can influence secondary-market pricing unpredictably.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/grayson-perry/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-grayson-perry-british-1960-reclining-artist-2017-167-c-b90b1984f3
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-grayson-perry-b-1960-the-agony-in-the-car-park-from-the-vanity-of-smal-196-c-908ab8877b

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines verified identity research from museum collections, library authority files, and public biographical sources with available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data. When full auction comparables are not included here, Appraisily draws on its broader sale-history database to support appraisal estimates.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1269096
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grayson_Perry
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/119700011/
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/28224
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-grayson-perry-cbe-ra-4657
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/207132
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500123795
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2002029592