Gilbert & George

In their paintings, sculptures, photo-pieces and performances, the British duo Gilbert & George have proven themselves witty, subversive social commentators. This oversize, profusely illustrated album documents The Singing Sculpture , a performance piece in which Gilbert & George--impeccably dressed, their faces and hands splotched with metallic paint--stand on a table and impersonate automatons who repetitively croon a Depression-era music-hall song about two London tramps. The duo baffled and entranced New York City gallery-goers with this "living sculpture" in 1971 and again in 1991. Art historian Rosenblum interprets the piece as a commentary on homelessness, poverty and the mechanization of popular entertainment. Ratcliff, contributing editor of Art in America , provocatively presents Gilbert & George as didactic artists who celebrate the world and who attempt to awaken each member of their audiences to his or her true individuality.