Gilbert and George quit Royal Academy as their hopes for “high-profile show” fall through

The infamous artist duo Gilbert & George have stepped down as academicians of London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Art. The sudden resignation came as the Academy decided not to move forward with a major exhibition of the artists’ work.

In an interview earlier on in the year, Gilbert & George mentioned that they were planning a “high-profile show.” However when those plans fell apart, they became the first academicians to resign since 2005. An RA spokeswoman told the Observer that their departure was “regrettable,” but that not all academicians can have a show.

The duo were the first pair of artists to be elected to the Royal Academy as a single member. Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore first met as students at Saint Martin’s School of Art in the 1960s.

There are currently 77 royal academicians, each a practicing artist or architect under the age of 75.