Gilbert and George quit Royal Academy over dashed hopes for major exhibition

The artists stood down as academicians after the gallery said it would not be hosting the show they had plannedArtists Gilbert and George, unpredictable celebrities of the British avant garde, have perplexed the art world together for more than five decades. Their provocative murals, posters, photographs and videos have surprised and often unsettled fans. But now the artists, who revel in a joint reputation “as horrid people”, have fallen out with one of Britain’s most prestigi