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 worked 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. Many of their works can be seen as symbolic group portraits of the artists themselves.
This bold 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.
Centered on a hand-painted background, "Nine Lives" features a trio of stylized skulls, becoming a macabre group portrait. As cats have nine lives, an assumption can be made that each member has three of their own, perhaps operating as a grim nod to their continuous evolution and reinvention.
"Nine Lives" is an excellent example of General Idea's conceptual self-portraiture. This 3 skull motif reoccurs throughout their oeuvre, notably on their 1992 flag of the same name.
Individual prints from "Fear Management" rarely come to market. While we are offering this specific print individually, we also have a complete unframed set available for purchase.
Condition: very good
