Gilbert and George Gilbert Proesch British, b. Italy, 1943-; and George Passmore British, 1942- Gilbert and George first began collaborating while students at St. Martin's School of Art in 1967. Trained during a time when conceptual art was an important influence on the art world, the duo rejected the notion of "art for art's sake" by incorporating into their work significant content rooted in social issues and contemporary society. Their earliest works questioned the nature of the art object by emphasizing the creative concept and process of art through performance. In these initial presentations, they appeared at exhibitions as "living sculptures," dressed in trademark suits and ties with their faces and hands painted, to act out their art. During the 1970s, Gilbert (born in Dolomites) and George (born in Totnes, Devon) began to employ photography, books, and video in their work. Their first photo-pieces, made in 1971, were loose assemblages of black-and-white images that juxtaposed iconic fragments from nature and culture with self-portraits. In 1974 they used red to enhance the expressive qualities of the photographs. During the 1980s, their subjects shifted from social concerns toward more personal issue -- fears and anxieties that often encompassed sexual themes. In addition to exhibiting their work in many group shows, the pair have had solo shows at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (1981), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1985), and the National Art Gallery, Beijing (1993). In 1986 they were awarded the Turner Prize by the Tate Gallery, London. The subject of books and films, they are today best known for their large, brightly colored, gridlike photo-pieces in which individual images are segmented and recombined to form an autonomous whole. Gilbert and George live in London. A.W.