General Idea

General Idea "Ursa Major and Taurus"

1983

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 use 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...

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. While the medium frequently changed, General Idea early introduced talismans or logos that they would revisit and re-envision, including skulls, ziggurats, and poodles. (The EyeEye crest, for example, reappears in 1993 as a benefit print for the International Festival of Authors) This print comes from "Fear Management": a set of 8 prints...

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. Perhaps one of the earliest of these icons is the pinching hand, or "Hand of the Spirit" which debuts around 1972 and appears frequently throughout the decade. Centered on a hand-painted background, "The Hand of the Spirit of Miss General Idea" features a vibrant crest that displays a hand with fingers curled in a mystical gesture. This print comes from "Fear Management": a set of 8 prints...

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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