The long-awaited major exhibition of the work
of Gilbert & George is a fitting homage to art's
original Odd Couple on their 40th anniversary.
Since meeting at London's St Martin's School
of Art in 1967, Italian-born Gilbert Proesch and
Englishman George Passmore have not ceased
to make contemporary art history.
Revolting against art's elitist tag, they opened
up their home in London's urban East End in
the late 60s and declared themselves "living
sculptures". Thereafter exploring the media of
video, photography and drawing, they consistently
remained the main subject of their own
work. In 1986, the artists won the Turner Prize
for their black and white photographic montages
against a backdrop of bold color that
borrowed from religious iconography. Their
highly subversive works, such as the quadripartite
Death Hope Life Fear, provoke discourse
not only on an artistic but a social level too,
confronting issues such as sexuality, religion,
identity and AIDS. Now in their sixties, Gilbert
& George remain art's most dynamic duo.

Tate Modern
Gilbert & George: Major Exhibition
Bankside, London SE1 9TG
T. +44 (0)20 7887 8888