Gilbert & George Center

Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore, better known as Gilbert & George, moved into their home, just off Brick Lane in the east of London, in 1968.

Now, 55 years after they moved in, they have opened a permanent exhibition center that will be dedicated to their art. The Gilbert & George Center on Heneage Street, just off Brick Lane and directly adjacent to the Prince of Spitalfields public house, opened on April 1st. It has been converted from a brewery that dates back to around 1820 and sits next to the artists’ home and studio of many years, a restored Georgian house, on neighboring Fournier Street.

The center has been designed by SIRS Architects to mimic the exterior designs of Gilbert and George’s restored Georgian home. It comprises three exhibition spaces over three levels which will host a revolving program of new and historical work by the artists. There will be no admission charge for the majority of the program.

The Hayward show will surely attract the crowds. Gilbert & George, gay men born during the Second World War and raised in households of humble means, have grown to become two of the most distinctive and recognizable cultural figures in the UK. They have also become synonymous with an area now closely associated with the UK’s most progressive contemporary art.

At the start of their careers, Gilbert & George adopted the slogan “Art for All.” They were early performance art pioneers, sometimes performing continuously for a day at a time. They also gained a reputation for being willing to exhibit in spaces far beyond London’s established commercial gallery world. 

Gilbert will celebrate his 80th birthday in September, while George has just turned 81. The center, then, has been created as a place to commemorate the artists’ contributions to contemporary British art. It will endure as a tribute to them, even after their deaths.

The Gilbert & George Center is open now, Spitalfields, London.

Posted by: TAWD on April 12, 2023