George and Gilbert, the Living Sculptors, London

Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore met as art students in London in 1967 and since then they have been partners both in life and in art. The presented themselves as "living sculptures" - they made themselves into sculpture and presented themselves as Gilbert and George. One of their earliest renown works was The Singing Sculpture (1969) where they covered their exposed skin in metallic colors, stood on a table, and sang along and robotically moved to a recording of the song "Underneath the Arches." By the early 1970s they were creating drawings (called "Charcoal on Paper Sculptures") and "photo-pieces" documenting their lives as living sculptors. This early catalog documents both their performances, drawings, and photographs. As they state in the catalog "We are only human sculptors in that we get up every day, walking sometimes, reading rarely, eating often, thinking always, smoking moderately, enjoying enjoyment, looking, relaxing to see, loving nightly, finding amusement ..." The two continue to produce art together to this day.