Gilbert and George
Base

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Artist Gilbert and George (British, active since 1967)British, active since 1967

Artist Gilbert Proesch (British, born Italy, 1943)British, born Italy, 1943

Artist George Passmore (British, born 1942)British, born 1942

CultureBritish

Titles

Base

Date2005

MediumPhotographs

DimensionsImage (each): 29 1/2 × 24 13/16 in. (74.9 × 63 cm)
Sheet (each): 29 1/2 × 24 13/16 in. (74.9 × 63 cm)
Overall: 148 13/16 x 225 3/16 in. (378 x 572 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Chaney Family Collection in honor of Anne Wilkes Tucker on the occasion of her retirement

Object number2017.6

Not on view

Explore Further

Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionAddressing provocative issues such as sex, religion, and politics, the work of Gilbert and George attracts both commendation and condemnation. In Base, a mirrored image of a crucified Christ is flanked by the “saintly” figures of the two artists. The bottom register of this pseudo-altarpiece—an area usually reserved for narrative scenes from the lives of the saints above—is occupied by a line of cheap charms evoking homoerotic stereotypes: the policeman, the sailor, the firefighter. Gilbert and George leave the meaning of Base ambiguous—are they toying with sincere believers or suggesting an analogous history of rejection and persecution?
ProvenanceChaney Family Collection, Houston; given to MFAH, 2017.

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