General Idea formed in 1967 and over the next four decades made a significant contribution in defining postmodern and conceptual art.

General Idea explored a vast number of themes including the cult of the artist, media, glamour, and consumerism. At the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980's - the illness and the apathy/ignorance toward it became a dominant motif in their work, recurring in a multitude of incarnations.

Perhaps their most iconic series is their appropriation of Robert Indiana’s “LOVE”. General Idea subverted his iconic work to read "AIDS" using the same font and bold color arrangement of red/green/blue as the original.

This distinguishable trio of colors became a mainstay in General Idea’s AIDS related works, creating a logo that would signify the power and ubiquity of the disease.

“Coeur Volant” is an outstanding example of General Idea’s use of appropriation from this era, "infecting" the original work by Marcel Duchamp of the same namesake. Here, General Idea replaces Duchamp's blue and red palette with their now-ubiquitous red/green/blue, another iconic work falling victim to contagion. Ignorant of the reference to Duchamp, the arrangement of four “fluttering” hearts is remarkably pleasing, almost decorative. Like many of GI's best works, on the surface the work can seem playful and reverential, when in fact it is conveying something far more sinister or cynical.

Conversely one could argue that the appropriated hearts are representing something more optimistic, that the repetition of the shapes is signifying love, empathy, brotherhood or unity.

In 1994, two of the members, Felix Partz and Jorge Zontal died of AIDS. General Idea's surviving member, AA Bronson, continues to practice as an independent artist and oversees the representation, exhibition and reedition of General Idea’s work internationally.