EA Festival kicks off a new event series in partnership with Essex Book Festival and The Minories.

To inaugurate the series of art-themed talks, James Birch, the curator, gallerist and art impresario with many ties to East Anglia, will introduce his newest book, Gilbert & George and the Communists. The book memorialises James’ experience of mounting major art exhibitions in Moscow and China for the irreverent and iconic art duo, Gilbert & George, after the great success of bringing Francis Bacon to Russia in 1988. (The latter experience was documented by James in his book, Bacon in Moscow, published in 2022.) The reader is propelled forward by Birch’s sensitive retelling of his relationship with Gilbert and George, and his quest to understand the moorings of their art, while negotiating the black box decision making processes of his Communist patrons, all during one of the most tumultuous eras of political upheaval in those two countries (perestroika and Tiananmen). It’s a multi-faceted romp through the art world and politics of the late 80s and early 90s that James will bring to life when he joins us on stage at The Minories.

About James Birch

James is a curator who has promoted modern art exhibitions around the world for over 30 years. He opened his first gallery in 1983, followed by two more in London over the next two decades. James has exhibited artists including Grayson Perry, Francis Bacon, Gilbert & George, Genesis P Orridge, Austin Osman Spare and Denis Wirth-Miller.