Gilbert & George: ‘Homeless people tend not to end up in a picture’

For almost 60 years, Gilbert & George have been smartly-dressed art provocateurs, interrogating big issues and via performance art, portraiture and photo series.

Their latest exhibition, at the Gilbert & George Centre in London celebrates their friend George Crompton – a homeless man who visited them at their famous Fournier Street home for decades.

Gilbert & George have always proclaimed Art For All – and these colourful works, first displayed before Crompton’s death in 2024, are an embodiment of their approach.

Here, Gilbert & George write about their friend George Crompton and why he inspired a piece in their new collection.

George Crompton would come to our door at Fournier Street. He would come every day bringing the newspapers, sometimes walking all the way from his hostel, St Mungo’s in North London. He was part of our world for more than 30 years.

George was a homeless person, and homeless people tend not to end up in a picture. We love this piece [CROMPTON STREET, above]. The green jacket is fantastic – with a cigarette in his hand, we wanted to make two George’s, like us, a duo.

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

He didn’t have any mean or unpleasant thoughts that we remember, ever. When we told him, “George, you’re in the picture,” he was very casual about it. It is a tribute to George and similarly to disenfranchised young people. There are lots of Georges out there.

He was in front of the Christ Church in Spitalfields for many years, but we first met him on Fournier Street. We gave him a little change, so then he came knocking on the door, and we let him in. He would sit with us in the studio when we worked.

Years ago, he was in the dark room with us – and he found it very exciting. He used to come to the [Gilbert & George] Centre a lot and see the shows. And if you asked him about it, he would give a comment, and that’s the best critic you need.

We feel very lucky to have made these pictures because we’ve got a picture of the life of George Crompton that we otherwise wouldn’t have. We’d have memories but we have a real memorial to him. We never had friends in our pictures normally.

Read More

• Artist Sarah Lucas on tits, making something out of nothing and ‘living in quite terrible times’
• In the age of AI slop, what is the future of art and photography?
• New homeless village offers ‘brilliant solution’ that organisers want to bring to a town near you

In 2021 we took George to see our show [THE NEW NORMAL PICTURES] at White Cube gallery where NUMBER TWELVE was on view. But poignantly, last year, the picture was being installed at the Hayward Gallery the day that George sadly passed away. He passed away in September and our show [21ST CENTURY PICTURES] opened in October.

We went to see him in his last days, and he was very philosophical about his coming end. He had a lovely smile, and we miss him every day.

Our George Crompton, WORLDS and WINDOWS by Gilbert & Georgeopens on 1 May at the Gilbert & George Centre, London.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Change a vendor’s life.

Buy from your local Big Issue vendor every week – and always take the magazine. It’s how vendors earn with dignity and move forward.

You can also support online:
Subscribe to the magazine or support our work with a monthly gift. Your support helps vendors earn, learn and thrive while strengthening our frontline services.

Thank you for standing with Big Issue vendors.