Gilbert & George: The Meaning of the Earth

The Meaning of the Earth offers a retrospective on the work and lives of the relentlessly controversial artists Gilbert & George, connecting their beginnings as Living Sculptures to their pictorial work of today.

'The Meaning of the Earth, Wolf Jahn's new book, explores the vision of our Art like no one has ever done before. Congratulations Wolf! Everyone loves this amazing and beautiful book. It is a masterpiece.' - Gilbert & George

The Meaning of the Earth offers a retrospective on the lives and work of the relentlessly controversial artists Gilbert & George, placing them within the context of twentieth-century British culture. Wolf Jahn tells the story of how Gilbert & George found their identity in opposition to pervasive ideas around social conformity and religion after meeting in 1967.

The artists staged an internal revolution, mining their psyches to create visionary and unwaveringly modern art. The 'two people but one artist' ask the questions that gnaw at us all: 'Where do we come from?', 'Who are we?' and 'Where are we going?' The book meditates on the artists' role in this century, connecting their beginnings as Living Sculptures to their pictorial work of today.

The Meaning of the Earth is a continuation of Jahn's 1989 work, The Art of Gilbert & George, offering a playful philosophical interrogation of Gilbert & George's work that truly grasps its cosmic scale.