Gilbert & George Exhibition

 

Gilbert & George

I've never really known what to think of the artists Gilbert & George. However, their exhibition is currently on at the Hayward Gallery on the Southbank, so I decided to take a look.

Gilbert and George met at St Martin's School of Art in 1967 and have been together ever since. They live in Spitalfields, London, and are often seen walking around together. Gilbert (Proesch) was born in Italy in 1943, and George (Passmore) was born in Plymouth, UK in 1942. Their art is bold graphic-style, and the two put themselves in all their work.

In this exhibition they use subjects from life - media headlines, personal ads, topics which some might find controversial. Some a more tongue in cheek, like the one called Date Dance. The colours are bright and sort of photographic. The images are huge, a few taking up a whole wall space. The pictures are from the last twenty-five years.

Gilbert & George's motto is Art for All, which I totally agree with. I have this saying on a fridge magnet, though it's on my white board in my writing room. Art should be for everyone and the best way of seeing it is at galleries. Looking at a picture in a book is a pale image of the original where you can see the brush strokes, the vibrancy of colour and a hell of a lot more. It has even been proved that gallery visits help you relax. And you don't need to pay a fortune to see art. There are plenty of free galleries around. Exhibitions can be expensive, so save your money for the ones you really want to see, or get someone to gift you membership to a gallery, or even better, gift you an Art Fund subscription. It's what I have. The best investment ever.

Date Dance