Gilbert & George Open Permanent London Center with Controversial 'Paradisical Pictures' Exhibition

The Gilbert & George Centre opened on April 1, 2023 in London's East End, presenting the inaugural exhibition THE PARADISICAL PICTURES. This permanent exhibition space occupies a converted nineteenth-century brewery on Heneage Street in Spitalfields, designed by SIRS architects in collaboration with the artists. Featuring 35 large-scale photographic montages from 2019, the works incorporate self-portraits, texts, and vegetal motifs to create comical visions of a heavenly world. One controversial piece titled DATE RAPE drew criticism for its poor taste, echoing past controversies from the late 1970s and early 1980s when works like PAKI (1978) and PATRIOTS (1980) raised eyebrows. The artist-duo, who met at Central Saint Martins in 1967 and reportedly entered a civil partnership in 2008, have long used 'Art for All' as their mission statement while embracing conservative politics and monarchist symbolism. Their new center features an art-nouveau-inspired green iron gate adorned with King Charles III's royal cypher, reflecting their affection for the monarchy. Gilbert Prousch was born and raised in Italy, yet the pair have become associated with Brexit-era nationalism through their use of Union Jack motifs and admiration for Boris Johnson. The artists, now aged 79 and 81, often appear in their own work undergoing metaphysical transformations, with heads morphing into dates, stones, or magnolias.