Gilbert & George

Photo courtesy Gilbert & George/Aperture Foundation

Gilbert & George, "Four Knights" (1980)

Photo courtesy Gilbert & George/Aperture Foundation

Gilbert & George, "Life" (1984). From "Death Hope Life Fear"

Gilbert and George Remembering Jeanne-Claude, Polemicist and Diplomat Venice Diary To Bling or Not to Bling? Holy Inspiration: Religion and Spirituality in Modern Art TEFAF Opens With Old Master Optimism East Is East “The Conversation Series”

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... and ran around. That's a new religion or something.

One person complained, it seems. I don't know how many people saw it, maybe 150,000, and only one or two complaints. It's extraordinary, don't you think?

Also the Tate didn't make any suggestions about the selection [of pictures]. Which is good. They didn't touch that.

Do you think you'll have a similarly free hand when you show your work at the Brooklyn Museum?

I think we've set a standard that it's going to be embarrassing for the other museums to say anything. It's good that we've broken down that myth about the uptight Brits, anyway, right? It seems to be the Europeans who are uptight. But I think we'll be able to get away with more on the continent, and here, because of the Tate.

Why did you choose Brooklyn?

I hope that people get out there. I'm still nervous that people will get off the Island and go and see it. It's not totally easy, is it?

Well, their Annie Leibovitz show was a huge success.

Ah, she's famous ... and also a dyke!

Did it say that on the poster?

I remember that they tried the Museum of Modern Art for us. But it's impossible.

They would never take a show like this. I think there's nowhere on the island that would.

The Guggenheim we did, that's why they wouldn't do it again. Otherwise we would have done it. And the Museum of Modern Art, it's all ...

... timid, timid art.

We're not at all part of that museum establishment.

Their current big show is Richard Serra.

Again, it's abstract art. It doesn't offend anybody. That's it. They like abstract 'cause they don't want to offend. Don't you think? They did Brice Marden. It doesn't offend anybody. It's expensive. That's how we see it.