Gérard Schlosser

Par Moment

1995

General Idea was founded in 1967 in Toronto by AA Bronson (b. 1946), Felix Partz (1945-1994), and Jorge Zontal (1944-1994). Over the course of 25 years, they made a significant contribution to postmodern and conceptual art in Canada and beyond. The trio was both prolific and multi-disciplinary long before it became de rigueur. They worked across a wide range of media including photography, sculpture, painting, mail art, video, installations, multiples, and performance. With their subversive approach and interest in parody and appropriation, General Idea addressed a broad range of social (and art-world) issues such as the cult of the artist, mass media, queer identity, and consumerism. Thematic continuity was a key element for General Idea, who utilized longevity as an avenue to delve deeper into, build upon, and evolve with the complex and nuanced subject matter they took on. “Monet Cane” is an extraordinary example of General Idea’s use of iconography, appropriation, (and mischief) from this era. Beginning in the early 1980s, General Idea began using the poodle as an emblem for the trio, quickly elevating it to one of the most dominant motifs in their practice. Both single poodles, and trios (which would be a sort of group self-portrait) appeared frequently in a variety of artwork during their last decade of production. The 80's was a decade that saw appropriation flourish in the visual arts. General Idea made a significant contribution to this trend. While many of their contemporaries used mass-market images or objects (think Barbara Kruger, Jeff Koons, and Richard Prince) General Idea did not restrict themselves to accessible imagery but also claimed canonical images and blue-chip references. General Idea created two major series of paintings featuring the trio of poodles; in pastels (which were often bleached in a commercial washing machine) and in neon colors. This painting is exceptionally rare as it is one of four paintings made with this distinct flecked surface. This unique texture is a significant (and beautiful) anomaly at odds with their predominantly flat and graphic aesthetic. The surface of the canvas is enveloped in tiny, weighted flecks of paint that have been layered to create an incredible texture. This application of paint, which appears to be chenille-like, recalls both the atmospheric pastel palette and impressionistic effects made famous by Claude Monet. "Monet Cane" can not only be contextualized with other poodle paintings...

William Perehudoff (1918-2013) is one of the most cherished and collected Canadian abstract painters. His work is a prime example of how color field painting was expressed in Canada....

Oil on canvas Hugo Pondz is a Belgian artist born in 1975 who lives & works in Namur, Belgium. In his dreams he travels to New York where he is interested in the urban landscapes an...

Born in Byblos lebanon, in 1946, is a contemporary plastician artist franco-canadian. Artistic journey Early days (1970-1975) Paris (1976-2001) Quebec (2002 - present) China (2011-2016) Collectors Exhibitions 1970 jean Tannous graduates from the national superior institute of fine arts of the university of lebanon. he teaches at the same institute in 1974 and 1975. 1976 fleeing the lebanon war upon his arrival in paris, Tannous obtains the certificate of the commission of professionalism for artists & intellectual workers. affiliated with the maison des artistes, he works at the place du tertre doing portraits for tourists. during this period, Tannous masters all painting techniques, thanks to his years of experience spent in european museums doing copies of great masters. paris (1976-2001) finally Tannous settled down in paris. he participates in the creation of a fresco for the ratp in the subway, the spiral of the abbesses. he collaborates with the régie immobilière de la ville de paris and the mairie de paris. under this banner he will participate in several projects in belgium (ypres, ostende, ghent and bruges among others). in sandnes, norway, he contributes to the realization of another fresco, le pont de paris. the cartier and baume & mercier companies appeal to the talents of Tannous for their seminars. 1977 with the support of günther kaphammel, the famous german watercolourist, Tannous receives an invitation to exhibit in braunschweig at the jaeschke gallery. this is the beginning of his career in germany. Tannous collaborates with karstadt for a long time. he creates many portraits of celebrities that pose for him, such as rudi cerne, dr volker schmidt, herbert paschen and helmut marmulla. 1982 in paris, jimmy carter poses for tannous. the artist carefully keeps the thank-you letter that the former us president sends him. Tannous also portrays the former president of the ivory coast, his excellence félix houphouët-boigny and the sultan oman qabus ibn saïd. 1984 after a long period of research, Tannous discovers a new way to protect his artistic creations by covering them with an innovative varnish which quickly becomes his signature. the artist also excels in sculpture with the realization of busts. 1986 Tannous wins first prize in a painting contest held by l’île des impressionnistes. the winning work is acquired by the fournaise museum. 1987 karstadt-recklinghausen surprises the artist with a jubiläum for their ten-year collaboration. 1988 Tannous designed the entirety of the bang & olufsen home in parly 2 (chesnay-versailles). 1991 the artist founds and presides over carré ouvert, an official association of professional artists. it will be very active at the mitsukoshi gallery in paris for 9 years, performing, among other things, a decor of parisian cafés in trompe-l’oeil. 1992 carré ouvert organizes an event in carroz d'arâches with québecois artists, such as sylvain cousineau, suzelle levasseur, hanibal srouji and michel madore. the same year, paravision, chaired by raphaël berdugo, now known as europacorp, sponsors Tannous by providing him a large workshop for 8 years. from 1992 to 2000, the agency of modern art regularly represents Tannous in germany, especially in braunschweig, spain and united states. 1993 Tannous personalizes a harley-davidson for the harley-davidson convention in frankfurt (germany). 1996 in march, the artist is exhibited at the artexpo of new york, represented by the bernice jackson gallery. in july, he exhibits at the kennedy studios gallery in boston, alongside the works of hundertwasser. the next month, the caesars palace casino in atlantic city invites Tannous for a solo exhibition, for which he created twelve large formats paintings. 1997 france-okinawa elects Tannous vice-president of their association. this organization promotes relationships between france and japan. it brings okinawa’s kumi odori ballet to paris. Tannous founds europ'art, an association of experienced artists specialized in frescoes. karstadt (hambourg, germany) selects ten european painters for a major exhibition. Tannous is one of them. the artist collaborates with stephanie, an art dealer, who organizes several solo exhibitions in for him across switzerland - notably at the polo gallery, in männedorf-zürich. 1998 Tannous exhibits at porsche in fulda (germany) for a private sale reserved for their customers. the artist moves to 34 avenue des champs-élysées, where he establishes his workshop, keeping it until 2001. 1999 Tannous participates in the international kiev art festival (ukraine). in the scientific, economic and cultural guide der pfiffikus, Tannous is presented by katja gross as an innovative painter and creator of a new technique. hartmann tresore places an order to Tannous for a special edition of large safes...