The Words of the Sculptors Gilbert and George.

London.: Art for All., (1970).. Loose as issued in original card folder with interior tissue flaps, printed titles and vignette in black and artists' signatures to front cover, justification to rear.. Folio. (291 x 203 mm).. Each leaf with letterpress text and central monochrome portrait vignette of either Gilbert (sheets 'one' and 'three') or George (sheets 'two' and 'four'), the sheets numbered at upper right and with G. and G. crest at head and imprint at foot and with legend beneath each vignette, all recto only; sheet size: 255 x 165 mm. The very rare discrete portfolio edition published the year after the appearance of their first 'magazine sculpture' 'The Words of the Sculptors Gilbert & George'.From the edition limited to 35 numbered copies, signed by the artists to the front cover in sepia ink and numbered to the rear.'The Words of the Sculptors Gilbert & George' was presented as their first 'magazine sculpture' (four were to follow) on four pages (pp. 43 - 47) of the Autumn 1969 issue of 'Jam Magazine'. Each page was numbered at upper right and presented a vignette portrait of either Gilbert or George above an apparently sincere and straight forward statement; the 'Art for All' imprint was at the foot of each sheet and the G. & G. with arms banner at the head.The sheets with their texts (and vignette photographs) are as follows:'one' - (photograph of Gilbert) - 'We would honestly like to / say how happy we are / to be sculptors.''two' - (photograph of George) - 'It is our intention to bring to / everyone a realisation of the / beauty and necessity of our sculpture.''three' - (photograph of Gilbert) - 'It is important for new sculptors to / come to terms with the modern / limitations of sculpture, apparent / only through the feeling of the eye.''four' - (photograph of George) - 'With the tears streaming down our / faces we appeal to you to rejoice / in the life of the world of art.''The Words of the Sculptors Gilbert and George' is rare and we can trace only two copies in the US, at MoMA (possibly lacking the original wrapper) and the Getty, and a further copy at the Groninger Museum, Groningen..[see 'Gilbert & George's Art Titles 1969 - 2010 in Chronological Order' pg. 2, LE (Limited Edition), see also pg. 1, MS (Magazine Sculpture); see 'The Words of Gilbert & George' pp. 12 & 305].