Gilbert & George: Intimate Conversations with François Jonquet - Hardcover

Jonquet, Francois

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714844357 ISBN 13: 9780714844350

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2005

Synopsis

Despite their notoriety, Gilbert & George have always been reluctant to speak publicly, and have only occasionally published manifestos or given interviews. However, over the last ten years they have developed a close friendship with the Paris-based author and critic, François Jonquet, and have held with him a long series of interviews in which they have been willing to talk more candidly than ever before about their lives, their work, their feelings and motives, and their reaction to the many controversies they have generated. Gilbert & George: Intimate Conversations is a distillation of all these conversations, and it presents a portrait of the artists which has never before been revealed to the public.

These conversations comprise a riveting and monumental document: it offers a unique and unprecedented insight into the personalities and creative processes of two artists who have earned both enormous popularity and venomous critical hostility. In 13 chapters within a loosely thematic and chronological framework, Gilbert & George talk candidly and uninhibitedly. Sometimes serious, sometimes very funny and always sharp, lively and interesting, they explain the background and motivation behind their works, nearly 200 of which are illustrated with high-quality reproductions at the point in the text where they are discussed. The autobiographical sections are enriched with numerous documentary photographs from the artists' own collection, including many family photographs which have never been published before.

Fascinating, compelling and always enjoyable to read, these conversations are also a major personal and critical testament from two significant and influential contemporary artists who are deeply serious about their work. It is absolutely essential reading for teachers and students alike, as well as anyone with an interest in contemporary art and the debates that rage around it.

About this title

Review:

"A compelling insight into [Gilbert & George’s] everyday enigma. The artists’ unfailing politeness, consideration for others and open nature exert an irresistible charm. But it’s Jonquet’s walks with G & G around their home patch of Spitalfields that shed new light on the work, lavishly illustrated with accompanying personal photos."―Metro London

"Many monographs have appeared on this enigmatic and self-contained duo, but non as revealing as this beautifully illustrated series of conversations with a young French critic who, in the course of a friendship that has lasted over ten years, has succeeded in extracting intimate details bout their lives that make the two men more human while paradoxically enhancing their strangeness... Probably the most enjoyable, readable and intentionally amusing [book] you are ever likely to encounter on avant-garde artists of today."―Michael Jacobs, Art Quarterly

Synopsis:

For the first time Gilbert & George open up and talk at length to the public. In this extraordinarily revealing book, two of the world's most controversial contemporary artists, who have dubbed themselves 'living sculptures', explain and defend their views and actions. These freewheeling conversations are the fruit of over ten years of friendship with the critic Francois Jonquet, and are distilled from an intensive series of unprecedentedly frank interviews. Candid and uninhibited, Gilbert & George provide a highly entertaining insight into their unique lifestyle, and give a robust exposition of their views on art, life, sex, money, religion and race. Equally revealing are the many illustrations of Gilbert & George's provocative and controversial works of art. Despite their notoriety, Gilbert and George have always been reluctant to speak publicly, and have only occasionally published manifestos or given interviews, many of which were collected into a volume published in 1997. However, over the last ten years they have developed a close friendship with the Paris-based author and critic, Francois Jonquet, and have held with him a long series of interviews in which they have been wil

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0714844357
• ISBN 13: 9780714844350
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 360