Ever since they met at St. Martin's School of Art in London in 1967, Gilbert & George have worked exclusively together, turning their life into their work, themselves into art. More than thirty-five years later, their large, colorful, multipanel pictures?in which they appear either clothed in their trademark matching suits or completely naked?are instantly recognizable. Celebrated the world over, their work has been the subject of major exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, and it continues to exert an immense influence on generations of younger artists.

Eminent art historian, critic, and close friend of the artists Robert Rosenblum looks back at a lifetime of work that has amused