Portrait of Gilbert & George (aka Gibralta)

Gregory Markopoulos’ Portrait of Gilbert & George (1970) is a film marked by absence. Though a portrait of the artistic duo, the film indulges in none of the privileging of visibility on which the genre of portraiture often rests… The flow of movement, so crucial to most films, is missing. In its place is a rigorous engagement with the medium’s most basic elements, one that returns the viewer to the stillness of the individual film frame. (Erika Balson)

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Gregory J. Markopoulos

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Production Country: USA

Production Year: 1975

Duration: 12΄

Gregory J. Markopoulos

Born in Ohio in 1928 to Greek immigrant parents, experimental filmmaker Gregory Markopoulos began making 8mm films at the age of 12. In 1967 he left the United States for permanent residence in Europe. Gradually, Markopoulos ensconced in self-exile, withdrawing his films from circulation and refusing to give any interviews. While he continued to make films, his work went largely unseen for almost 30 years.

Filmography

1949 Christmas U.S.A. (short)
1963 Twice a Man
1966 Ming Green (short)
1967 The Illiac Passion
1967 Bliss (short)
1968 The Mysteries
1975 Portrait of Gilbert & George (aka Gibralta) (short)