Grayson Perry: The Vanity of Small Differences (reprinted)

Grayson Perry's tapestry series, The Vanity of Small Differences, is accompanied by a beautiful publication called The Vanity of Small Differences. The book features Perry's six tapestries, inspired by early Renaissance painting and William Hogarth's moralising series. It includes full-color reproductions, photos of the artist's sketches, and commentary on each tapestry. The publication also includes an essay by curator Adam Lowes and a reflection by journalist Suzanne Moore on questions of class, taste, and their relative values.

Format: Hardback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2022
Publisher: Hayward Gallery Publishing

An indispensable companion to one of the most significant contemporary art works of the past decade, Grayson Perry's series of tapestries, The Vanity of Small Differences.

Tapestry series The Vanity of Small Differences, which tells a story of class, taste, aspiration, and identity, saw Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry travel the length and breadth of the UK, 'on safari amongst the taste tribes of Britain.' In his BAFTA award-winning three-part documentary series All in the Best Possible Taste (Channel 4), Perry explores the 'emotional investment we make in the things we choose to live with, wear, eat, read, or drive.'

The Vanity of Small Differences is the beautiful publication, covered with real cloth, accompanying the Hayward Touring exhibition with the same name. The book features Perry's six vibrant and highly detailed tapestries, bearing the influence of both early Renaissance painting and of William Hogarth's moralising series, literally weaving characters, incidents, and objects from the artist's research into a modern-day version of Hogarth's A Rakes Progress (1733).

With an inventive and elegant design from Pony Ltd, this fascinating publication includes an extensive array of full-colour reproductions of Perry's tapestries, complete with photos of the artist's sketches and preparatory material for the tapestries themselves.

Journalist Suzanne Moore (Guardian, Mail on Sunday) contributes to the book with an incisive, moving, and highly personal reflection on questions of class, taste, and their relative values. Also featuring a new text by Grayson Perry, alongside extensive commentary on each of the tapestries, while curator Adam Lowe's essay explores the process of their making and their place in the digital age, The Vanity of Small Differences is an essential guide.

Weight: 860g
Dimension: 256 x 223 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781853323157