The first major retrospective in more than 25 years of the art of Gilbert & George makes its American debut at the de Young Museum after a European tour.  It runs through May 18.
   

With more than 50 pictures from 1971 to the present, tracing the stylistic and emotional development of the artists, the exhibition is the largest ever to be mounted of their art.  Since their meeting at St. Martin’s School of Art in 1967, Gilbert & George have presented themselves as a single artist and as living sculptures. They began their career together with a tabletop vaudeville performance piece called The Singing Sculpture.  Eventually, they began photographing their performance work to extend its reach and range.    

Gilbert & George provides an overview of the dynamic career of the acclaimed duo, whose continuously innovative and challenging art has gained them wide recognition as two of the most important living artists on the international scene. While Gilbert & George makes a thorough presentation of the artists’ pictures, it also expands greatly into the other artistic media in which the artists have worked since the late 1960s. 
   

Gilbert & George: de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr.; through May 18; tickets $15/adults,
$12/seniors 65 and over, $11/youth 13-17 and students with ID; 415-750-3600 or www.deyoungmuseum.org for additional information and ticket discounts.