GILBERT & GEORGE — Photo-Pieces 1971–80, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1981

Offset print in black, grey and red on lightweight white paper. Exhibition poster. 42 × 29.5 cm. Blank verso. Unsigned; the printed signature and date belong to the reproduced image. Edition size unknown.

Issued for Gilbert & George's exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery, 3 July–16 August 1981. The poster reproduces Rose Hole, 1980, surrounded by the operational information of the institution: admission, dates, opening hours, telephone number and Underground station.

Photo-Pieces 1971–80 surveyed the decade in which Gilbert & George moved from the actions and documentation of their “Living Sculpture” period towards the large, gridded photographic pictures that established their mature visual language. Early black-and-white arrangements expanded into mural-scale structures, with red introduced as an increasingly forceful element. The artists remained inside the image, treating their bodies, their neighbourhood and public life as material.

Here, a picture measuring more than three metres across is reduced to a single portable sheet. The photographic grid remains visible, while two physical fold lines divide it again. Image and distribution use the same structure.

The poster exists between artwork and administration. Rose Hole becomes date, timetable, telephone number and public address. A monumental picture is reformatted for temporary circulation through the gallery and the city. What remains is the retained announcement.

Condition: good vintage condition. Two intersecting fold lines from previous storage or distribution, general soft creasing and paper undulation, minor edge and corner wear, light surface handling and age toning, with small pinholes near the corners. No significant tears or paper losses visible.