The encounter between the artist and our institution has given rise to a new creation, designed especially for the Monnaie de Paris and created in our ateliers: it is a pendant in the shape of a commemorative medal to be worn on a necklace. It depicts the artist's childhood teddy bear Alan Measles. He is represented as a war hero, decorated for his military and artistic achievements. Alan is shown at the centre of the scene, set in a radiating pattern, a kind of "glory" celebrating his talents. He wears epaulettes, pins, Greek crosses, a mauve sash on his uniform and an eight-pointed star. He appears to be an officer, perhaps a pilot. The legion of honour, which the artist whished to confer upon his subject, is a reference to the ateliersat the Monnaie de Paris that continue to manufacture this type of decoration today. As is often the case in Perry's works, autobiographical and historical references combine. Alan wears another decoration: the portrait of a crowned female figure in the form of a jewel that refers to Claire, the artist's alter ego. Alan holds a brush and a porte-plume in his right paw: he is an artist, a painter and a writer; he is Grayson Perry himself.
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