Sir Grayson Perry ‘American Dream’ artwork acquired for nation

A print by Sir Grayson Perry has been acquired for the nation by National Galleries Scotland two years after being on display in Edinburgh.

Titled The American Dream, the etching was on show in the Grayson Perry: Smash Hits exhibition which closed on November 12 2023.

It has been purchased by patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) and can now be seen in the Modern One gallery in Edinburgh.

The print, which is 239cm long, is described by NGS as an “epic satirical statement on our current culture wars”.

Sir Grayson said: “This is a map of the US I made in response to my experiences there when filming my television series, Grayson Perry’s Big American Road Trip.

“It toys with the common delusion that there is a clear and certain route out of our mess of feelings.

“Stylistically, I was thinking of Cold War propaganda maps showing the ‘communist threat’ in the 1950s.”

The Turner prize-winning artist said the figure at the top is Mark Zuckerberg, the “best known face of social media power”.

Sir Grayson said: “When looking at the conflicts that swirl around social media, I find it illuminating to observe the scene like a psychotherapist might listen to a client.

“When we experience a background hum of unfocused emotion, be it anxiety, sadness, fear, anger, we unconsciously look for something to attach it to.

“Social media is brilliant at supplying us with issues to which we can attach our free-floating feelings.”

Sir Grayson has gone from taking evening classes in pottery to winning the Turner Prize and is also known for appearing in television shows including The Masked Singer earlier this year.

Patrick Elliot, NGS chief curator of modern and contemporary art, said: “We didn’t have a work of Perry’s in Scotland’s national collection, but it was something we had long considered.

“When the opportunity to acquire one of the prints came up after the exhibition it seemed the perfect opportunity.

“Perry’s prints are enormous, hilarious, full of biting satire and gorgeously coloured and detailed.

“We all loved The American Dream, as with so much of Perry’s work it is hilarious but bang on.

“The feedback we got from visitors to the exhibition was hugely positive. You could see them laughing out loud and engaging with strangers as they studied the pots and prints with their acutely observed comments on society.

“So, we hope that visitors can have the same positive experience when they come to visit The American Dream at Modern One.”