Gilbert & George

For the first time Gilbert & George open up and talk at length to the public. In this extraordinarily revealing book, two of the world's most controversial contemporary artists, who have dubbed themselves 'living sculptures', explain and defend their views and actions. These freewheeling conversations are the fruit of over ten years of friendship with the critic Francois Jonquet, and are distilled from an intensive series of unprecedentedly frank interviews. Candid and uninhibited, Gilbert & show more George provide a highly entertaining insight into their unique lifestyle, and give a robust exposition of their views on art, life, sex, money, religion and race. Equally revealing are the many illustrations of Gilbert & George's provocative and controversial works of art. Despite their notoriety, Gilbert and George have always been reluctant to speak publicly, and have only occasionally published manifestos or given interviews, many of which were collected into a volume published in 1997. However, over the last ten years they have developed a close friendship with the Paris-based author and critic, Francois Jonquet, and have held with him a long series of interviews in which they have been wil show less

The artist’s second ever book, this is one of the rarest of their early publications. The text “O Art , what are you” is joined with a b/w image of the two artists lounging on a fallen tree.

Stamped GG in red ink on rear page in lieu of a signature, the book is hand numbered from the edition of 300 on the back cover. This is number 25.

Numbered copy 17/500 and marked on the last page with a red stamp. On the opening page the following text: 'It is our wish that the reader should come to regard this booklet as an insight into an understanding of our drawings as an explanation of our living art life. On completion of this booklet it came strongly to us that our work on it had resulted in a sculpture.'
Insurance value around Euro 450,-

Motto on p. 1: 'Down on paper suggestion of forms, shapes and patterns suggestive of our artisticness.'
Number copy 421/1000 with the red stamp 'GG' on the last page.
Insurance value around Euro 300,-