Gilbert & George

Gilbert & George’s Complete Pictures exhibition is taking place at London’s Tate Modern between 15 February and 7 May 2007. Their Complete Pictures, printed by Beacon Press is one of the largest and most important art books to be printed in the UK in recent years. The book is comprised of two volumes, each of 620 pages with over 1,500 illustrations.

Beacon Press has printed the Complete Pictures of Gilbert & George. This book is published to coincide with the largest ever exhibition of the two artists taking place at London’s Tate Modern (15 February - 7 May 2007). It is possibly the biggest most important art book printed in this country in recent years.

With a print run of 12,500 copies, the book comprises of two volumes, each of 620 pages and containing over 1,500 illustrations. It reproduces every picture the artists have made from 1976 to 2006 including details and installations. It is a must-have for anyone interested in the history of British art and will retail for just £39.00.

Beacon Press has printed 12,500 copies of the Complete Pictures as well as 27,000 copies of the Tate exhibition catalogue accompanying the exhibition. This includes translations and editions for the exhibition as it tours venues in Germany, Italy and the USA after its début in London.

“This book has been a truly collaborative effort between artists, gallery and printer with Beacon Press at its core”, says Francis Atterbury, Fine Art Consultant at Beacon Press. “Gilbert & George have been working on the book at their East London studio for the last few years. In fact, testing on colour began in earnest at Beacon Press over a year ago as a printing condition was sought that could accurately reproduce the artists’ colour palette from the last 30 years.”

The artists visited Beacon throughout the project and personally approved the entire colour both at proof stage and on press. Using only four colours, Beacon Press have created a colour space on press that matches and, in some cases, exceeds that of the EPSON eight-colour proofs used by the artists to create and proof the work.

As Francis Atterbury says, “This stunning work shows that great books can still be printed in Great Britain. By allowing free rein to the imagination within a highly controlled environment, four-colour printing can challenge, match and even exceed the colour expectations of the inkjet generation.”