In December 2003, a TV programme was broadcast live from one of the major events of the British contemporary art calendar, the Turner Prize. During the show, presenter Matt Collings and artist Tracey Emin talked at length about that year's shortlisted artists.When it came to an analysis of Grayson Perry, however, Emin could muster little more than a sardonic grin and the ambiguous comment: 'Grayson is pretty popular with the masses.' When the prize was announced later that evening and, against the odds, Perryhad won, Collings's response was less coy: a simple, and bewildered, 'Freaky!'

introduction mapping the world of grayson perry

chapter 1 beginnings

chapter 2 class

chapter 3 war and conflict

chapter 4 sex and gender

chapter 5 religion and folk culture

chapter 6 inner landscapes

chapter 7 the art world

chapter 8 pottery and aesthetics

notes

chronology

public collections

solo and group exhibitions

selected bibliography

acknowledgments

picture credits

index