Here’s the latest on Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur.
- The Wallace Collection hosted Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur, a major contemporary show opening March 28, 2025 and running through October 26, 2025. It features over 40 new works by Perry, created in dialogue with pieces from the Wallace Collection, and centers on a fictional alter ego to explore themes of identity, entitlement, and the art world.[2][3][5]
- Critical reception has been mixed. Some reviews praise Perry’s craftsmanship and the bold dialogue with the Wallace Collection, while others argue the show’s theatrical framing can overshadow individual works or feel uneven in its narrative approach.[5][7][9]
- The exhibition is described as the largest contemporary show at the Wallace Collection to date, blending sculpture, ceramics, tapestries, and works on paper, and incorporating Outsider art references alongside the collection’s masterpieces.[3][7][2]
- For context, Perry’s project reinterprets historical collections through a fictional narrative about Shirley Smith, a self-taught artist, integrating real outsider artists such as Madge Gill and Aloïse Corbaz, and using elements from the Wallace Collection to frame his new works.[7][3]
- If you’re planning to visit, expect a rich, theatrical installation that invites reflection on who gets to define “great art” and how institutions curate heritage, with Perry’s characteristic wit and social critique threaded throughout.[5][7]
Citation notes:
- Exhibition details and scope: Wallace Collection announcements and related exhibition coverage.[2][3]
- Critical reception and themes: Guardian review and Arts coverage, plus Art Lyst and The Week summaries.[9][7][5]
Sources
Grayson Perry's latest show reinterprets the Wallace Collection. The Arb's art writer, Rosalind Ormiston, went along to the show's opening to investigate... For Londoners, the Wallace Collection, in Hartford House, is one of the nicest galleries to visit, and visit regularly. It has a charm and sense of place unlike any other, not to mention a phenomenal collection of fine art and decorative art. Where else can you walk through a room and find a masterpiece by Rembrandt, a painting of his son,...
www.arbuturian.comDelusions of Grandeur at the Wallace Collection is an exhibition in which Grayson Perry reacts to the items in the museum. It got lukewarm reviews when it opened, perhaps because of a lack of coher…
seen-and-done.comThe Wallace’s boldest show yet—Delusions of Grandeur blends Perry’s art, identity & satire, brought to life with an intimate audio tour by Imagineear.
www.imagineear.comGrayson Perry has always been a master of holding up a carnival mirror to society, and his latest exhibition at the Wallace Collection...
artlyst.comConrad Landin talks to the artist about his new exhibition at the Wallace Collection
www.islingtontribune.co.ukArtworks 'by' Perry's new alter ego – an abuse survivor from the East End called Shirley Smith – sit among works by real outsider artists. His stronger pieces are more straightforward
www.theguardian.comPerry’s latest exhibition is really quite intriguing. He takes many of the tropes and themes of historic art and flips them entirely on their head, essentially questioning - as the show’s title suggests - how such grandiose notions are, perhaps, mere delusions..
www.coffeeandunlitcigarettes.co.ukExplore Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur at the Wallace Collection and Ryder's role as exhibition designers. Opens 28 March 2025.
www.ryderarchitecture.comThe Turner Prize-winning artist's show at The Wallace Collection showcases his persistent 'anti-establishment stance'
theweek.com