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General Idea
General Idea "Ursa Major and Taurus"

1983

$3,600
£2,781.62
€3,215.82
CA$5,087.06
A$5,705.48
CHF 2,987.87
MX$69,327.10
NOK 37,940.94
SEK 35,970.68
DKK 24,004.41

About the Item

General Idea formed in 1967 in Toronto and over the next nearly 30 years made a remarkable contribution to post-modern art. Their body of work combines provocative or banal imagery with wit and irony, creating subversive cultural critiques on a wide range of topics from the role of the artist in society to the AIDS crisis. Two of the members, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal died of AIDS in 1994. Its surviving member, AA Bronson, continues to practice as an independent artist and oversees the representation and exhibition of General Idea’s work internationally. In the early 1980's General Idea was commissioned by the Toronto Stock Exchange to install a work/mural. Shortly after the TSX published two prints; a lithograph poster and a limited edition print. However most of the edition was destroyed/thrown away when they moved from the trading floor at the TD Centre to their offices. As a result this work has almost achieved mythological status amongst General Idea collectors. We are excited to be offering this very rare and wonderful General Idea work. One of the most elegant pieces General Idea created, this work represents an intersection between Toronto history, finance and conceptual art in Canada. Questions about this product? Call us. Additional images available by request. “Ursa Major & Taurus: Pavilion Fragments from the Starry Vault” 1983. Relief print with 23 carat-gold letterpress hot-stamping, analine dyes on paper Titled, signed, dated 1983 and numbered by General Idea. From an edition of 100 23"H 31"W (work) 31"H 38.5"W (framed) Very good condition
  • Creator:
  • Creation Year:
    1983
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 23 in (58.42 cm)Width: 31 in (78.74 cm)
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Toronto, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 04-191stDibs: LU21524220981

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In 1967, General Idea was founded 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 group was both prolific and multi-disciplinary long before it became de rigueur. They with photography, sculpture, painting, mail art, video, installation, 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 in General Idea's work. Early on they introduced talismans or logos that they would revisit and re-envision, including skulls, ziggurats, and poodles. This print comes from "Fear Management": a set of 8 prints that celebrates some of General Idea's defining and most beloved motifs by situating them on a crest. This showcases their clever blend of historical fantasy and invented patrimony. Many of these self-mythologizing crests debuted in 1986 during their exhibition at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo entitled: The Armoury of the 1984 Miss General Idea Pavillion. This series is a defining example of one of General Idea's most iconic motifs, the crest, which showcases their clever blend of historical fantasy and invented patrimony. Centered on a handpainted background, "The Honeymoon...
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Down the Drink
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