This new exhibition of work by Gilbert & George, the idea of Jean-Christophe Ammann, director of the Basel Kunsthalle, has blossomed into an impressive European tour: it began in Bordeaux and will continue on to Brussels, Madrid, Munich, and London, presenting a survey of work done by this artist couple since 1982. In these new works Gilbert & George demonstrate breathtaking mastery of continually developing visual means. The esthetic fascination these pictures exercise derives not only from their beauty, but also from the way they harness technique to their larger goals.

Above all, these works