Norman Foster adorns his home with Perry’s new tapestry

Smaller versions available at Frieze

By Martin Bailey and Louisa Buck | From Frieze daily edition, 14 Oct 09
Published online 14 Oct 09

Grayson Perry's Walthamstow Tapestry, 2009

British architect Norman Foster has bought Grayson Perry’s recent large-scale work The Walthamstow Tapestry, 2009, which went on show at London’s Victoria Miro gallery last Friday (on view until 7 November), with a smaller version available at the gallery’s Frieze stand (G6). The huge panoramic view of contemporary life, interweaved with numerous brand names, represents a witty comment on consumerism. The tapestry, which comes as an edition of three at a size of 15m by 3m, or an edition of 12 at 7m by 1.4m, was produced by a Ghent weaving company from a drawing by Perry. The larger version, bought by Foster, costs £150,000, while the smaller version is on sale for £48,000. Foster has bought the work for his private collection, while the other two editions of the large version are on hold. The piece was named The Walthamstow Tapestry in honour of the 19th-century designer William Morris, who grew up in the north-east London district where Perry also has his studio. Perry told The Art Newspaper that he is already developing ideas for another tapestry work.