20th Oct, 2020 10:00
Modern British and 20th Century Art - Live Online
346
▲ Grayson Perry RA (b.1960)
Grayson Perry RA (b.1960)
'Alien Baby'
glazed ceramic, 2008, stamped and numbered 11 to the reverse, from an edition of 12
27 x 17cm
'Alien Baby' was created during his time making the BAFTA nominated 'Rites of Passage', a four episode series exploring the topics of Death, Marriage, Birth and Coming of Age. Perry travelled the world exploring rituals across different cultures before returning home to England, to discuss his findings with British families, drawing parallels with seminal moments in their own lives and helping to devise secular rituals to help them make sense of the landmark moments they were experiencing.
He described witnessing the slow motion modern miracle that sees the babies being nurtured into the world by the dedicated team of nurses who help them survive and thrive against all odds. He sees the nurses as the crew of a spaceship, employing modern technology with a sympathetic touch, the twinkling lights of the monitors reminiscent of the light-up controls of the flight deck of a spaceship. Inspired by this cosmic scene and believing there to be a need for the NHS to be ritualised as one of the pillars of modern society, Grayson produced a range of 12 'Alien Babies', each a celebration of the NHS, the technology and, above all, the humanity of the neonatal nurses. The works, each unique and executed in pottery with a metallic gilt glaze, were gifted by the artist to every member of the neonatal team at the Broomfield, as well as to the couples featured in the show. He states ‘each sculpture represents the spirit of all the little lives bought into the earth by the nursing team’.
Provenance: This work was given by the artist to one of the nurses featured in the programme.
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Sold for £7,000
Condition Report
Some light rubbing on back of figure. Indentations from kiln stand on back.
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Auction: Modern British and 20th Century Art - Live Online, 20th Oct, 2020
The much anticipated Modern British & 20th Century Art Live Online auction on 20 October includes an A-Z of 'Mod Brit' artists with works by Cedric Morris (1889-1982), Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003), Dame Elisabeth Frink RA (1930-1993), John Piper CH (1903-1992), Edward Seago RWS RBA (1910-1974), Grayson Perry (b. 1960) and Edward Bawden CBE, RA (1903-1989).
Viewing
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Sunday 18 October,10am - 1pm;
Monday 19 October, 9am - 5pm
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