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Three large artworks of a red face and other colourful elements with the words 'Sex!!, Money and Race' on each

Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES

7 October 2025 – 11 January 2026

Showcasing the most recent chapters of Gilbert & George’s artistic journey, this exhibition saw the Hayward Gallery filled with vibrant, large scale images that centre the human experience.

Reflecting the artists’ motto of ‘Art for All’, the exhibition spanned the mundane and the illicit. The pictures, each created since the start of the millennium, delved into societal norms and taboos, challenging the boundaries of taste and propriety.

Exploring themes of hope, fear, sex, religion, corruption and death 21ST CENTURY PICTURES featured key Gilbert & George series including NEW HORNY PICTURES (2001), THE LONDON PICTURES (2011), THE BEARD PICTURES (2016), and THE CORPSING PICTURES (2022).

 

‘A joyous embrace of modern life’

The Guardian

 

‘A lurid love letter to the delirium of a city and a century’

Elpehant

Exhibition gallery

Large and colourful faces on artworks with black grid lines overlaying them in a white gallery space
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 1 of 10. Large and colourful faces on artworks with black grid lines overlaying them in a white gallery space
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Installation view of Gilbert & George, PIXIE HILL, 2005. From the exhibition Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery. Photo by Mark Blower.
View larger image 2 of 10. Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Large colourful artwork taking up a whole wall with concrete walls and stairs behind
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. BAGRAVE (2020). Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 3 of 10. Large colourful artwork taking up a whole wall with concrete walls and stairs behind
David Carter
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Two people looks at two large and vibrant artworks hung up in a large space with white walls and wooden floors.
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 5 of 10. Two people looks at two large and vibrant artworks hung up in a large space with white walls and wooden floors.
Five figures looking at artworks depicting two mens faces hung on the walls in a gallery space,
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 6 of 10. Five figures looking at artworks depicting two mens faces hung on the walls in a gallery space,
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery. Photo by Mark Blower.
View larger image 7 of 10. Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
David Carter
View larger image 8 of 10.
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. REST (2019). Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 9 of 10. Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
David Carter
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Articles & videos

Walk into the world of Gilbert & George with Pandemonia
Performance artist Pademonia – a living sculpture of an exaggerated cartoon-like woman with blond hair, sunglasses and bright red lips, points towards a Gilbert & George picture within the Hayward Gallery
Video

Walk into the world of Gilbert & George with Pandemonia

Take a video tour of Gilbert & George’s Hayward Gallery exhibition 21ST CENTURY PICTURES in the company of performance artist Pandemonia.

Arts unravelled: how are art exhibition catalogues produced?
Artists Gilbert & George sit back to back on chairs as they jointly hold a copy of the catalogue for their Hayward Gallery exhibition 21ST CENTURY PICTURES. They are seated in the gallery in front of their picture SCAPEGOATED (2013)
Article

Arts unravelled: how are art exhibition catalogues produced?

Hayward Gallery publisher Mary Richards helps explain the process behind the gallery’s eye-catching exhibition catalogues.

Sex, Money, Race, Religion: inside the art and studio of Gilbert & George
Artists Gilbert & George, two elderly white men; each wearing smart suits, sit behind a desk on top of which is a maquette of the Hayward Gallery's layout.
Video

Sex, Money, Race, Religion: inside the art and studio of Gilbert & George

Ahead of their Hayward Gallery exhibition, 21ST CENTURY PICTURES, the artists led us on a rare video tour of their studio.

5 things to know about Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Installation view of Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES
Article

5 things to know about Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES

The East London artists renowned for their provocative visually striking pictures who take inspiration from the streets and champion art for all.

Credits & partners

Thaddaeus Ropac logo black text
Black text 'white cube'

Additional support provided by Max and Monique Burger and the TOY family, Trevor Burgess and Gary Hess, Lehmann Maupin, and Sprüth Magers.

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