A ceramic created by artist Grayson Perry has been stolen from a gallery in Bristol, police have said.
The limited-edition piece, called ‘Alien Baby’, was stolen from the Hidden Gallery in Clifton Arcade on 30th August.
Avon and Somerset Police said two men were seen in the area where the 27cm tall gold piece, made from glazed ceramic, was on display, just prior to its theft. They said: “One of these men is described as white, in his thirties, of slim build, with dark facial hair. He was wearing a camouflage-pattern baseball cap, a dark zip-up jacket, with a blue V-neck shirt underneath, as well as dark joggers and white trainers.”
Grayson Perry created ‘Alien Baby’ during the filming of 2018’s Channel 4 series ‘Rites of Passage’.
Hidden Gallery said of the piece: “This particular sculpture was given to one of the couples on the show; their twins were born at 29 weeks and spent nearly three months in the Special Care Baby Unit.
“Meeting with Grayson was a positive experience for the couple, who were grateful to him for allowing them the opportunity to say a proper thank-you to the nurses and staff at Broomfield Hospital who had nurtured their twins through such a difficult period.
“Inspired by the flickering lights and modern technology of the neonatal ward, Grayson drew on cosmic imagery to create ‘Alien Baby’. The ‘Alien Baby’ itself weighs approximately 2 pounds, the same as the premature babies filmed in this series just after they were born.”
Perry created a total of twelve ‘Alien Babies’ as a way to “ritualise and celebrate the NHS, technology and the humanity of the neonatal nurses.”
Each work was made in pottery with a metallic gilt glaze, and was gifted by the artist to each nurse and to the couples featured in the show.
While the exact price of the artwork is not known, another artwork from the collection sold for £4,700. Perry’s work has reached as high as £632K at auction.
Avon and Somerset Police are encouraging anyone with information on the theft to get in contact.
