From the onset of Gilbert & George’s career, when they described themselves as “baby artists,” the phrase “Art for All” has served as their motto or mission statement. The artists have made this mantra part of the ideological grounding of their work, and have even included these three words as part of their mailing address and within all of their correspondence. The current exhibition Gilbert & George: The Early Years epitomizes this underlying philosophy by highlighting MoMA’s collection holdings of the artists’ work from the initial period of their practice. Perhaps best known for their brilliantly-colored, wall-sized Pictures of later years, Gilbert & George initially worked with quite a different palette and varied sense of scale, which is on display in this exhibition. Upon entering the gallery, viewers are welcomed with a large Charcoal on Paper Sculpture from 1970, To Be With Art Is All We Ask…, featuring text that reads: “Oh Art, what are you? You are so strong and so powerful, so beautiful and so moving. You make us walk around and around, pacing the city at all hours, in and out of our Art for All room.” The galleries that comprise this exhibition in turn are transformed into a series of Art for All rooms.
Gilbert & George. To Be With Art Is All We Ask…. 1970. Three-part Charcoal on Paper Sculpture composed of charcoal and wash on partially charred sheets of paper in cardboard box. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase. © 2015 Gilbert & George
Gilbert & George. The Ten Speeches. 1971. Ten letterpress and relief halftones with letterpress cover. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Art & Project/Depot VBVR. © 2015 Gilbert & George
The works exhibited exemplify how the artist’s early years of production encapsulate their underpinning belief of Art for All and the democratic nature of their conceptualization of artists and art-making. Since their time as students together at St. Martin’s School of Art, London, in the late 1960s, Gilbert & George aimed to create accessible art in contrast to what they viewed as the elitist and narrow confines of Minimalism and Conceptualism dominant at the time. Gilbert & George similarly indiscriminately created their art across all media (though referring to all of their work as sculpture): Postal Sculptures, Magazine Sculptures, Charcoal on Paper Sculptures, Drinking Sculptures, and Video Sculptures.
Installation view of Gilbert & George: The Early Years, The Museum of Modern Art, May 9–September 27, 2015. © 2015 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Jonathan Muzikar
Their earliest Postal Sculptures reflect the artist’s egalitarian slogan in both form and substance. From 1969 to 1975, Gilbert & George created 11 Postal Sculptures that were sent through the mail to friends, artists, potential collectors, and gallerists, including the series The Limericks, The Pink Elephants, and The Red Boxers, which are all currently on display. The artists employed this alternative means of artistic distribution—circulating ephemeral works—to not only circumvent traditional exhibition venues but to ensure their sculptures ended up in the hands of geographically diverse individuals who might not otherwise see an exhibition staged in a singular gallery setting. The artists created The Easter Cards</a>, for example, by inviting neighborhood children to make Easter greetings, drawing and writing messages on cards signed from “Gilbert & George.” Featuring written messages and imagery, the Postal Sculptures expand upon the notion of Art for All in both the reception as well as the creation of the work. Likewise, Gilbert & George circulated these works freely, denying their Postal Sculptures monetary value as an act of both generosity and a subversive means to guarantee their names gained currency.</p>
Gilbert & George. The Easter Cards. 1969. Postal Sculpture, lithograph with ballpoint pen additions and envelope. The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York. Franklin Furnace Collection. © 2015 Gilbert & George In addition to creating sculptures of various media, the artists also termed themselves “Living Sculptures,” rooted in their performative experiences as students in London when they would roam streets and parks with their heads and hands coated in multicolored metallic powders. With their individual identities subsumed into this vision of animate sculpture, the artists fully integrated their daily existence into their artistic philosophy. Infusing life into otherwise inert sculpture neatly highlights the premise that everyday experiences constitute art. Gilbert & George explain that “At that moment that we decided we are art and life, every conversation with people became art, and still is.” Gilbert & George sought to collapse the distance between art, artist, and audience. By deeming themselves Living Sculptures, the artists encourage viewers not to focus on what the work may say about its creator, but rather to discover what it teaches about themselves. Gilbert & George believe in the notion that art serves as a universal language and thereby engage viewers to take part in the artistic process. This is exemplified in another large-scale Charcoal on Paper Sculpture in the exhibition, The Tuileries, in which the artists have created a visually and intellectually accessible installation through their use of familiar subject matter—the furniture in their own home. In this case, the work includes large drawings covering three walls and encasing three chairs and a dining table. Installation view of Gilbert & George: The Early Years, The Museum of Modern Art, May 9–September 27, 2015. © 2015 The Museum of Modern Art. Photo: Jonathan Muzikar For many people, Art for All would offer a sort of soothing, non-confrontational and aesthetically pleasing experience. But for Gilbert & George, Art for All does not equal one-size-fits-all. The artists subtly infuse a tension and discomfort, exploring themes such as drinking, identity, youth culture, sexuality, and other challenging issues. At the same time, their work remains highly ambiguous, playful, and inviting. This can be seen in the Magazine Sculpture the artists created for Studio International in May 1970 called The Shit and the Cunt, as well as a Video Sculpture which depicts the artist’s drunkenness from repeatedly drinking glasses of Gordon’s gin. Their magazine photo-collage works, as well as their embrace of video technology, allow Gilbert & George to extend their sculptures beyond a particular time and place and to broadcast their art to wider viewers. The exhibition offers art for everyone, and allows the audience to have input into the meaning and accessibility of the works—an Art for All. Gilbert & George. The Shit and the Cunt. 1970. Printed publication, letterpress and relief halftone, four pages. The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York. © 2015 Gilbert & George
