General Idea
Life & Work by Sarah E. K. Smith
Key Works: Mondo Cane Kama Sutra
1. Although General Idea advanced queer identity in their work, this theme was not acknowledged by critics until the mid-1980s.“ Mondo Cane Kama Sutra,” FILE Megazine, vol. 5, no. 4( 1983): n. p.
Key Works: Shut the Fuck Up
1. AA Bronson notes that the commission was a collaboration with de Appel. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 2. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 3. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 4. The poodles are from General Idea’ s painting series Mondo Cane Kama Sutra, 1984. 5. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 6. These were elaborate events with many elements, including specific music composed by Klein. The footage of Klein ' s performance in Shut the Fuck Up is taken from the popular 1962 documentary Mondo Cane. Bronson notes that Klein died shortly after its humiliating release at the Cannes Film Festival. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, March 10, 2016. 7. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016.
Key Works: AIDS
1. AA Bronson, correspondence with artist, January 4, 2016. 2. The image was ubiquitous because Indiana neglected to obtain copyright for his work when he created it in 1966. 3.“ A Tribute to Felix Partz,” The Arts Tonight, CBC Radio, July 6, 1994, Audio, Film, and Video Works Series, General Idea fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa. 4. An animation of the logo was even produced for the Spectacolor Board in Times Square in New York City, where the AIDS logos were seen colliding and then turning into the LOVE logo. 5. In 1987 the poster was originally put on the streets in downtown New York City. In 1989 a version was made specifically for display on the New York subway and exhibited in the subway cars, but not on the platforms. In this way, the work was disseminated throughout the city and reached viewers of various socioeconomic classes in different neighbourhoods. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 6. AA Bronson, correspondence with author, January 4, 2016. 7.“ A Tribute to Felix Partz,” The Arts Tonight, CBC Radio, July 6, 1994, Audio, Film, and Video Works Series, General Idea fonds, National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives, Ottawa. 8. See Rachel Wolff,“ Love, Robert Indiana,” Departures( December 11, 2013), http:// www. departures. com / art-culture / art-design / love-robert-indiana. 9. Some ambiguity exists as to the exact dates of Partz and Zontal’ s HIV diagnoses. Bronson states that Partz was diagnosed in 1989, with Zontal diagnosed in 1990( Bronson, correspondence with author, January 6, 2016). Fern Bayer suggests that Partz was diagnosed in the late summer of 1990 and Zontal in 1991( Bayer, correspondence with author, November 27, 2015). Bayer’ s dates are reflected in the Finding Aid she created for the General Idea Archive at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.
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