Gilbert & George Blood 1996 Six hand-dyed photographs in artist's metal frames. 56 x 99 3/4 in. (142.2 x 253.4 cm) overall. Signed, titled and dated "Blood Gilbert & George 1996" lower right.
Provenance Sonnabend Gallery, New York Exhibited New York, Sonnabend Gallery and Lehmann Maupin, Gilbert & George The Fundamental Pictures, April 29-June 29, 1997; Belfast, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Pictures 1991-1997, 1999 Literature R. Fuchs and Gilbert & George, Gilbert & George: The Complete Pictures 1971- 2005, Volume Two, London, 2007, p. 866 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay In their series The Fundamental Pictures, the British duo Gilbert & George continuously push the boundaries of sensationalism through their artistic response to controversial issues which captured and shifted modern societal perceptions. In the present lot’s case, Gilbert & George explore the cultural hysteria of the 1990s brought upon by the rise in public awareness of the AIDS virus by displaying their own blood specimens, as if under a larger than life size microscope. As a result of the resounding effect that the virus had on modern society and culture, the artists deeply committed themselves to the disease’s awareness and prevention and expressed this most significantly through their art. Gilbert & George consider themselves “carriers and creators of new meaning” with their art and successfully capture the way in which bodily fluids, such as blood, ceased being personal and instead became a universal and fundamental constituent of modern humanity. By dissecting the very cells within their own body, the artists create a unique amalgamation of autobiographical nature, art, culture, and politics. The result for the viewer is a wonderful creation of alluring effect: we delight in the rosary-emulating shape Gilbert & George have produced. In Blood, we are not so much as presented with the physicality of the living artists as we are overtaken by the bold and powerful color of red against stark white and black. In its underscored simplicity, the artists have created a multi-layered construction. Read More
Gilbert & George Blood 1996 Six hand-dyed photographs in artist's metal frames. 56 x 99 3/4 in. (142.2 x 253.4 cm) overall. Signed, titled and dated "Blood Gilbert & George 1996" lower right.
Provenance Sonnabend Gallery, New York Exhibited New York, Sonnabend Gallery and Lehmann Maupin, Gilbert & George The Fundamental Pictures, April 29-June 29, 1997; Belfast, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Pictures 1991-1997, 1999 Literature R. Fuchs and Gilbert & George, Gilbert & George: The Complete Pictures 1971- 2005, Volume Two, London, 2007, p. 866 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay In their series The Fundamental Pictures, the British duo Gilbert & George continuously push the boundaries of sensationalism through their artistic response to controversial issues which captured and shifted modern societal perceptions. In the present lot’s case, Gilbert & George explore the cultural hysteria of the 1990s brought upon by the rise in public awareness of the AIDS virus by displaying their own blood specimens, as if under a larger than life size microscope. As a result of the resounding effect that the virus had on modern society and culture, the artists deeply committed themselves to the disease’s awareness and prevention and expressed this most significantly through their art. Gilbert & George consider themselves “carriers and creators of new meaning” with their art and successfully capture the way in which bodily fluids, such as blood, ceased being personal and instead became a universal and fundamental constituent of modern humanity. By dissecting the very cells within their own body, the artists create a unique amalgamation of autobiographical nature, art, culture, and politics. The result for the viewer is a wonderful creation of alluring effect: we delight in the rosary-emulating shape Gilbert & George have produced. In Blood, we are not so much as presented with the physicality of the living artists as we are overtaken by the bold and powerful color of red against stark white and black. In its underscored simplicity, the artists have created a multi-layered construction. Read More
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
