WATTS INDEXThe canonical database of visual culture

Artists›General Idea

General Idea

General Idea

Canadian, 1969

WA-00030784

PhotographyConceptual ArtPhotographyPerformance Art

Representation

None documented

5

Institutional Exhibitions

114

Works in Collection

228

Assets Indexed

3

Authority-backed Facts

0

Publications Referenced

90%

Profile Completeness

Cultural Positioning

Influence Graph

No influence edges encoded yet.

Authority Records (3)

WikidataQ283498 ULAN500116136

Selected Institutional Exhibitions

View all exhibitions →

No image

The Arts for Television

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1989

No image

An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1984

No image

Video Art: A History

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1983–1984

No image

The Second Link: Viewpoints on Video in the Eighties

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1983

No image

Projects: Video VIII

Museum of Modern Art, New York

1976

Field Verification (3 fields)

2 cross-verified · 1 single-source

Birth yearArtsy· 85%✓
NationalityArtsy· 85%✓
BiographyMoMA· 93%

Source Registry (3)

Esther-Schipperhttps://www.estherschipper.com/artists/
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
Maureen-Paleyhttps://www.maureenpaley.com/artists
Tier 3 · Scraped/inferred100%
MoMA bulk 2026-05-04https://www.moma.org/artists/7474
Tier 1 · Institutional92%

About

Why this artist matters now

No biography available for General Idea yet.

Graph relationships

Taste overlap and adjacency

Movement

Conceptual Art

Medium

Photography

Related Artists

12 in graph

Institutional

Museum Collections

Art Institute of Chicago Museum of Modern ArtNew York

Canonical record

Artworks (114)

Infe©ted Pharmacie

Infe©ted Pharmacie

1994 · Gouache on chromogenic print

composition: 10 5/8 x 7 11/16" (27 x 19.5 cm); sheet: 14 x 11" (35.5 x 27.9 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

AIDS Ring

1993 · Multiple of sterling silver ring and velvet-covered box

component (ring): 1 1/4 x 13/16 x 13/16" (3.1 x 2 x 2 cm); component (velvet box): 1 3/16 x 2 1/4 x 1 15/16" (3 x 5.7 x 5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

White AIDS #3

1992 · Gesso on canvas

152.4 × 152.4 cm (60 × 60 in.)

Art Institute of Chicago

Der Standard Kultur

Der Standard Kultur

1992 · Offset lithography

sheet: 18 7/16 × 12 3/8" (46.9 × 31.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Compliments of Miss General Idea

Compliments of Miss General Idea

1992 · Offset lithograph

composition (irreg.): 4 5/16 × 3 1/8" (11 × 8 cm); sheet: 5 3/8 × 4 5/16" (13.6 × 11 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

1992 · Installation of custom-shaped Mylar balloons

dimensions variable

Museum of Modern Art

PLA©EBO (Helium)

PLA©EBO (Helium)

1992 · Multiple of three custom-shaped mylar balloons

other (each balloon deflated, approx.): 18 1/8 × 34 1/4" (46 × 87 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Hope Chest

1992 · Multiple of three stuffed acrylic seals and faux fur, in found polystyrene cooler with laminated placemat

component (cooler, irreg.): 14 9/16 x 18 1/2 x 13 3/4" (37 x 47 x 35 cm); component (stuffed toy, each approx.): 6 11/16 x 12 x 6 5/16" (17 x 30.5 x 16 cm); component (faux fur, irreg.): 56 11/16 x 74 x 13/16" (144 x 188 x 2 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

GENERI©

1992 · Multiple of printed mylar balloon

other (balloon deflated, irreg.): 18 7/8 × 28 3/8" (48 × 72 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

The Sequel: Shut the Fuck Up

The Sequel: Shut the Fuck Up

1992 · Multiple of artist's book and VHS

page (each): 9 5/8 × 6 1/8" (24.5 × 15.5 cm); overall (closed): 9 7/8 × 6 7/16 × 1 7/8" (25.1 × 16.3 × 4.8 cm); video: 30 min. (color, sound)

Museum of Modern Art

1992 · Multiple of custom-shaped mylar balloon

other (balloon deflated, approx.): 19 1/2 x 27 15/16" (49.5 x 71 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

AIDS (Project for the Journal of the American Medical Association)

AIDS (Project for the Journal of the American Medical Association)

1992 · Journal cover, offset printed

composition: 6 7/16 × 6 3/8" (16.4 × 16.2 cm); sheet: 10 13/16 × 8 1/16" (27.4 × 20.4 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Blue (Cobalt) PLA©EBO

1991 · Accordion-folded computer printed booklet with gouache additions and a chromogenic print in an aluminum box

box:12 5/8 × 9 1/16 × 1" (32 × 23 × 2.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

1991 · Multiple of screenprinted scarf

Museum of Modern Art

PLA©EBO (Calendar For Interview Magazine)

PLA©EBO (Calendar For Interview Magazine)

1991 · Offset lithograph

page (each): 14 7/16 × 10 13/16" (36.6 × 27.5 cm); overall (closed): 14 1/2 × 10 13/16 × 3/16" (36.8 × 27.5 × 0.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Passion Over Reason

Passion Over Reason

1991 · Multiple of chenille and embroidery on felt

overall (irreg.): 9 1/8 x 8" (23.2 x 20.3 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Cartouché

1991 · Multiple of chenille and embroidery on felt

overall (irreg.): 9 1/8 x 8 1/4" (23.2 x 21 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Lucre Shopping Bag

Lucre Shopping Bag

1990 · Multiple of gloss-coated paper bag with offset lithograph adhesive-backed label

10 15/16 × 16" (27.8 × 40.6 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Test Pattern Wallpaper

Test Pattern Wallpaper

1989 · Screenprint on wallpaper in plastic box with gold hot-stamping

30 7/16 × 2 3/16 × 1 15/16" (77.3 × 5.6 × 5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

General Idea: Hamburg Projekt 1989

General Idea: Hamburg Projekt 1989

1989 · Pamphlet, offset printed

sheet: 12 15/16 × 9 1/2" (32.8 × 24.1 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

AIDS (A Project of the Public Art Fund Inc.)

AIDS (A Project of the Public Art Fund Inc.)

1989 · Offset lithograph

composition and sheet: 22 1/16 × 21 1/16" (56 × 53.5 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Eye of the Beholder

Eye of the Beholder

1989 · Multiple of chenille and embroidery on felt

overall (irreg.): 9 1/16 x 8 1/4" (23 x 21 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

Lucre

1989 · Multiple of chenille and embroidery on felt

overall (irreg.): 9 5/16 x 8 1/4" (23.7 x 21 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

AIDS (Adhesive Backed Label)

AIDS (Adhesive Backed Label)

1989 · Offset lithograph on adhesive-backed paper

sheet: 6 5/16 x 6 5/16" (16 x 16 cm)

Museum of Modern Art

View all 114 artworks →

Artwork sources (2)

114 published of 225 catalogued · 216 with image

MoMA
111 publishedof 222 catalogued213 img
Art Institute Chicago
3 published3 img

Record

Images

Artsy artist portrait

Artsy

White AIDS #3 (Art Institute of Chicago)

Art Institute of Chicago

White AIDS #3 (Art Institute of Chicago)

Art Institute of Chicago

Relationships

9

Movements5

Conceptual Art Photography Performance Art Contemporary Institutional Critique

Collections4

Art Institute of Chicago Museum of Modern Art Phillips Waddington's

Institutional

Representation & Collections

In collection

Art Institute of Chicago

In collection

Museum of Modern Art

New York, US

Market

Auction sale history

Houses that have sold works by this artist at auction