General Idea

GENERAL IDEA “INFE©TED COEUR VOLANT” 1994

PRICE ON REQUEST

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 across a wide range of media including photography, sculpture, painting, mail art, video, installations, multiples, and performance.   

With their 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.

While General Idea is not typically associated with appropriation artists (think Barbara Kruger, Jeff Koons, and Richard Prince) much of their output from the late 80's and early 90's is aligned with the Pictures Generation artists and their contemporaries. While these artists used mass-market images, notably advertising, or banal consumer goods, General Idea tinkered with fancy, Queer, or canonical images and blue-chip references. 

Their most iconic work appropriated 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. But this was not the only art history hijacking General Idea did.

Using the distinguishable palette of primary red, blue, and green became a mainstay in General Idea’s work, another subtle iteration of a group self-portrait where each member claims a color. 

This work, which consists of 6 hand-painted hearts, is a reinterpretation of Marcel Duchamp’s iconic heart design first realized in 1936

Composed of 6 unique hand-painted hearts, “ Infe©ted Coeur Volant” is an extraordinary example of General Idea’s use of appropriation. Here Duchamp's blue and red palette is replaced with the signature General Idea palette, where the colors not only represent the artists, but the idea of another iconic work falling victim to contagion.

If one is unaware of the Duchamp references, or the idea of contagion and the "Image Virus" the arrangement of four “fluttering” hearts is remarkably pleasing, almost decorative. Like many of General Idea's best works, on the surface, the work can seem playful and reverential, when in fact it is conveying something cynical or sinister.

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

General Idea created these hearts in a series of 4. The black on black version is in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Vancouver. The white on white version in the permanent collection of the Museo Ettore Fico (Turin, Italy). The blue on blue version, inspired by Yves Klien, has been held in a private collection in Switzerland since 2009.

Questions about this piece? Contact us or call +1.416.704.1720.

Visit our Toronto gallery on Thursdays or by appointment.

“Infe©ted Coeur Volant” 

Canada, 1994

Acrylic and wax on 6 heart-shaped medium-density fibreboards 

Signed, titled, and dated by the artist on verso

9.25"H 9.25"W (each work)

Provenance: From the collection of Salah J. Bachir, Toronto (Purchased from the artist, 1996)

Exhibition history: Zurich, 1994; Vancouver, 1996

Very good condition

- Where does the inventory ship from?
Our inventory is divided between New York and Toronto. 

- Where do you ship to?
We can ship anywhere. Typically when we ship within North America we prefer to use FedEx or DHL. To Europe, Asia and beyond we generally use DHL. 

- How much does it cost to ship?
For shipments within North America, we typically charge a flat rate fee. Many items on our site will list the rate. For shipping outside of North America, we can easily provide a quote and will look for the most efficient and economical option.

Most of the items on our site can be easily shipped internationally.

Occasionally we will recommend that an artwork be removed from its frame for shipping. Larger framed works are typically framed with plexiglass. We export over 80% of what we sell, so we are comfortable shipping anywhere. 

- Are there additional taxes or fees?
When a work is valued above $2,500 usd there is a possibility of tax of 0.35%, but this is applied sporadically. There can similarly be an additional fee for customs brokerage and this can range from $20 - $65. US Taxes, duties and customs brokerage are not included in our flat rate shipping. However most of our shipments to the US enter without any additional fees. 

- Do you provide a certificate of authenticity?
Yes, we guarantee everything we sell. We can provide both a digital and printed version of our certificate of authenticity. 

What is your return policy?
- Caviar20 wants you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. We have a 7 day no-questions full refund return policy for your purchase. Shipping charges are non-refundable. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. After 8 days returns are given a credit note. There is no expiration for our credit notes.

- What payment methods do you accept?

If purchasing directly online, Caviar20 accepts all major credit cards as well as Paypal. If invoiced, Caviar20 accepts all major credit cards on regularly priced merchandise. 

Discounted material must be paid by wire transfer, or with Paypal (if funds are sent as 'friends and family'). There is a 3.5% administration fee for credit cards on discounted material. 

Caviar20 does not accept personal checks or Zelle. 

Canadian clients are welcomed and encouraged to pay with interac.
 
Please contact us directly at info@caviar20.com if interested in paying with a cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum).

 

You may also like