Culturalee was given a tour of the captivating new Grayson Perry exhibition at Pitzhanger Manor in London. The Vanity of Small Differences features six epic tapestries inspired by William Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress.
The Turner-Prize-winning artist’s tapestries are on display in the light-filled galleries adjacent to Sir John Soane’s former country residence, where original Hogarth engravings of A Rake’s Progress depicting 18th working class escapades are displayed.
A Rake’s Progress (1733–5 ) was a series of eight satirical paintings created by William Hogarth (1697–1764) commenting on what he described as ‘modern moral subjects’ of 18th Century London. The series told the story of Tom Rakewell (The Rake), a man who inherits a fortune from his city merchant father only to fritter it away on an extravagant lifestyle, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Sir Grayson Perry’s monumental tapestries are a contemporary interpretation of Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress, and an equally satirical visualisation of the outdated class system and hierarchies of British society.
Hogarth’s original paintings were bought by Sir John Soane’s wife 222 years ago to be displayed at Pitzhanger. The Soanes subsequently moved with their art collections to Lincoln’s Inn Fields. However, Pitzhanger continues to display a full series of framed 18th century engravings of A Rake’s Progress in their original setting of the vibrant red walls of the Soane’s drawing room. Visitors to the exhibition will be in the unique position to be able to compare and contrast both intricately detailed morality tales in the home of Hogarth’s series.
Sir Grayson Perry CBE RA Hon FRIBA is an internationally celebrated chronicler of contemporary life, drawing us into intricately designed works of art with wit and nostalgia. In his work, Perry tackles subjects that are universally human: identity, gender, social status, sexuality and religion. Autobiographical references to the artist’s childhood, his family, and his cross-dressing, can be read in tandem with questions about décor and decorum, class and taste, and the status of the artist versus that of the artisan. The exhibition invites viewers to consider their own connections with the tapestries’ vivid storytelling and rich, allegorical imagery.
Taking Hogarth’s famed series as a starting point, Perry’s tapestries depict a corresponding fable of class, taste and social mobility. Weaving the complex ‘class journey’ of the fictional protagonist, Tim Rakewell, the tapestries include many of the characters, incidents and objects Grayson Perry encountered on his journeys throughout Sunderland, Tunbridge Wells and The Cotswolds for the BAFTA award-winning television series All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry.
Grayson Perry: “The tapestries tell the story of class mobility, for I think nothing has as strong an influence on our aesthetic taste as the social class in which we grow up. I am interested in the politics of consumerism and the story of popular design but, for this project, I focus on the emotional investment we make in the things we choose to live with, wear, eat, read, or drive. Class and taste run deep in our character—we care. This emotional charge is what draws me to a subject.”
The Vanity of Small Differences is jointly owned by the Arts Council Collection and the British Council Collection, gift of the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery, with the support of Channel 4 Television, the Art Fund and Sfumato Foundation with additional support from Alix Partners.
Clare Gough, Director of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery: “We are delighted to showcase Grayson Perry’s ‘The Vanity of Small Differences’ at Pitzhanger. This exhibition not only resonates with Soane’s own display of William Hogarth’s paintings here at Pitzhanger, but also continues our mission to present thought-provoking art that reflects society today. We hope to draw in a wide and diverse audience to enjoy these witty and satirical tapestries.“
The Vanity of Small Differences runs concurrently alongside Pitzhanger’s other exhibitions: A Fine Line: Modern Makers at Pitzhanger and From Waste to Wonder: The Art of Sustainable Transformation, where contemporary art stimulates a new perspective of historic architecture.
The tapestries are on display at Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing Green until 8th December 2024: pitzhanger.org.uk/grayson-perry
