Gilbert & George (1943/1942)

Gilbert Prousch (Italy) and George Passmore (United Kingdom) are two artists who work together as the collaborative art duo Gilbert & George. Their approach to art has always been anti-elitist. Adopting the slogan ‘Art for All’, they aimed to be relevant beyond the narrow confines of the art world. Although they work in a variety of media, they have always referred to all works as sculpture. In 1970 they published two manifestos listing the ideals by which they have attempted to live their lives and define themselves as 'living sculptures': 1. Always be smartly dressed, well groomed relaxed friendly polite and in complete control. 2. Make the world to believe in you and to pay heavily for this privilege. 3. Never worry assess discuss or criticize but remain quiet, respectful and calm. 4. The lord chisels still, so don't leave your bench for long. "We think of our art as just pictures, not as photographs. We are using photography, not being photographers." "If you are submerged in normal life, then your view will be normal. So we have to keep separate from normal life in order to be able to say something that is not known. People come to art for something that they don’t understand, that’s not in their life already." "We want our Art to bring out the Bigot from inside the Liberal and conversely to bring out the Liberal from inside the Bigot." "We always say we make a kind of moralogue: good people, bad people, what should be changed, sexuality, unhappiness, drunkenness, religion, politics—all included, all what’s inside human beings, not the abstract art that doesn’t offend anybody."