Gilbert & George

Press release

The Baldwin Gallery is proud to present its first show with the internationally acclaimed artists Gilbert & George. Although they collaborate in various media, their work is universally recognized for its use of unorthodox materials and controversial subject matter which often shocks and repels its audience. Gilbert & George began making collage postcard art in 1972 and revisited it from 1990 to 2009 with a series of works that reimagine the theosophical symbol of the urethra in an angular form. In each of the collages, thirteen postcards are arranged in a square with one in the center. Images range from highly recognizable British symbols, such as the Union Jack and the House of Parliament, to text from sex advertisements offering services from male prostitutes. The theme of the Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert & George is London in all its complexity; a reckoning between the city that the tourists know and the one that exists beneath the surface. The postcards, as now-defunct ephemera, gain post graphic significance as artifacts from another era. Objects that were once useful and commonplace have become curious and quaint, outmoded with the passage of time.

Gilbert & George met in 1967 while studying at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. They began working as a collaborative duo while still students, and soon gained notoriety for their distinctive and formal personas as well as their commitment to creating art that would stir controversy and cause their audience to confront their fears and prejudices. In addition to having represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2005, they have throughout the years won numerous awards for their work and have shown at prestigious museums worldwide including: Brooklyn Museum, National Art Gallery: Beijing, Tate Modern, Central House of the Artists: Moscow, San Francisco’s de Young Museum, Stedeiljk Museum: Amsterdam, and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville.

Images are available upon request. Please call 970.920.9797 for further information.