Performance artists, creators of photo-montage, publishers and film-makers. Gilbert (Proesch) was born in the Dolomites, Italy, in 1943. Studied at Wolkenstein School of Art, Hallein School of Art and Munich Academy of Art. George (Passmore) was born in Plymouth, Devon, in 1942. He studied at Dartington Adult Education Centre, at Dartington Hall College of Art and Oxford School of Art. They met when studying at St Martin’s School of Art in 1967. From 1968 they showed work and were living sculptures, their first appearance being at Frank’s Sandwich Bar, London, in that year. Many other appearances included Robert Fraser Gallery, Nigel Greenwood Inc and at Robert Self and Anthony d’Offay Galleries. They also appeared several times at Whitechapel Art Gallery and at Hayward Gallery, 1987, as well as widely abroad.
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They won the Turner Prize in 1986. In addition to featuring in films and videos, Gilbert and George produced works in edition and books such as Gilbert and George The Complete Pictures 1971–1985, in which their art philosophy was expounded, seeking “to speak across the barriers of knowledge directly to People about their Life and not about their knowledge of art”. A typical Gilbert and George performance was miming to an old record of Underneath the Arches while wearing their formal suits and ties, their faces and hands bronzed. Arts Council and other major collections around the world hold their work. There was a 30-year retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, in 1997. Gilbert & George New Horny Pictures was at White Cube2 in 2001, and The Dirty Words Pictures at Serpentine Gallery, 2002. There were exhibitions at Bernier/Eliades Gallery, Athens, Greece, and Sonnabend Gallery, New York, in 2004. In 2005, they represented Britain at the Venice Biennale. Lived in London.
Text source: 'Artists in Britain Since 1945' by David Buckman (Art Dictionaries Ltd, part of Sansom & Company)
