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article culture calendar_today Thursday, June 18, 2026

‘You learn how to be idiotic artists’: Gilbert & George on fame, rebellion and their mystery new collaborator

The article recounts a visit to the east London home and studio of the artist duo Gilbert & George, now aged 82 and 84, who have lived and worked there since the late 1960s. The visit is conducted alongside the younger street artist Endless, who has formed an unlikely bond with the duo and was the first street artist to exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The conversation touches on their daily routines, their famous lack of a kitchen, their switch from Scottish to Irish tweed in protest of the Scottish independence referendum, and their long-standing friendships with figures like Tracey Emin.

This matters because it offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the enduring partnership and eccentric lifestyle of two of Britain's most provocative and influential living artists. The article also highlights the cross-generational connection between the established duo and a contemporary street artist, underscoring how the art world's boundaries continue to blur. Their steadfast refusal to conform—whether by rejecting domestic norms or using their clothing as political statement—reinforces their legacy as defiant, iconoclastic figures whose work and life remain inseparable.