Quintessentially British, always attired in proper buttoned-up
suits, the artistic duo of Gilbert and George are also surprisingly subversive
in their art, tackling subjects both revered and taboo—and frequently the
intersection of the two. In their “postcard sculptures,” a novel art form they
have practiced since 1972, they create formal, abstract compositions with cheap
postcards ranging from the royal family to porn stars. Here, kitschy tourist
postcards of Tower Bridge and waving Windsors form— and compete with—a potent
religious symbol.