Culture Works: Private tour of Gilbert & George exhibition
We recently had the pleasure of hosting another private exhibition viewing as part of Culture Works. Our members joined us for a networking breakfast and exclusive look at Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery exhibition, Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES.
Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES exhibition
This exhibition showcases Gilbert & George’s artistic journey, highlighting new pictures created since the start of the millennium. The presentation highlights Gilbert & George’s evolution over the past 25 years, exploring how technology has made their reflections of today’s society bigger and bolder than ever before. Transforming the space with over 60 floor-to-ceiling installations, the artists debut new pictures alongside acclaimed pictures in a larger-than-life journey through the modern world as they see it.
Gilbert & George are iconic artists, epitomised by their monumental commitment to being ‘living sculptures’ spanning the last five decades. Inspired by our modern world, they act as visual archaeologists of our times by capturing elements of our changing society. From newspaper headlines to road signs, postcards and overheard conversations, the artists blend images and text from everyday life to create vivid pictures that encourage dialogue about today’s social norms and taboos. The resulting art is often provocative and challenging in its refusal to deliver simple messages about sex, religion, class, nationalism, corruption and death.
Rachel Thomas, Roden Chief Curator of the Hayward Gallery, says: “Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES reaffirms the artists’ singular position within the landscape of British art, exploring the complexities of human existence and confronting the social issues of our time. Speaking directly to the viewer, their images dismantle boundaries of class, culture, and taste, guided by an unwavering belief that art is for all. This exhibition is not only a celebration of their extraordinary practice across this millennium, but an invitation to step into the immersive and contradictory theatre of contemporary life – as only Gilbert & George can conjure it.”
Championing the motto ‘art for all’, Gilbert & George have rejected the notion that art requires knowledge of formal theory to be understood, instead encouraging viewers to respond emotionally and intellectually to their art and the attitudes it represents. As an open space for the nation’s enjoyment, the Southbank Centre similarly strives to spark new thinking about the society in which we operate by working with the leading artists of today.
As featured in Financial Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Time Out and Stylist as one of the top art exhibitions to see in autumn 2025.
Find out more about the exhibition here and make sure to visit before it closes on the 11th of January 2026.
Culture Works: Enabling access to the arts
Culture Works is HB Reavis’ partnership with the Southbank Centre, the largest multi-arts centre in the UK. Membership is free and open to all small and mid-size enterprises in London. Businesses joining the scheme receive:
- A monthly newsletter highlighting events across the Southbank Centre’s artistic programme
- Exclusive invitations to corporate receptions
- Complimentary tickets to events and exhibitions at the Southbank Centre, allowing businesses to invite existing or potential clients
- Access to the Hayward Gallery’s opening previews and smaller private curator-led tours of exhibitions
Find out more about the Culture Works programme and join for the next event by signing up here.