Bericht Uit Psychopolis 3 [1970]

The Hague: Vrije Academie / Psychopolis, [1970]. First Edition. Tabloid (ca 60cm x 40cm); on newsprint, unpaged [46pp], chiefly illus. Vertical and horizontal folds (as issued?); some puckering to paper at intersection of folds; mild toning to fold-lines and extremities, but still a complete, well-preserved copy, easily Very Good. Annual "catalogue" for this experimental art academy in The Hague, founded in 1933 as a studio where "vrije" took on a double meaning: "...poor talented students could study without payment...[and] admissions requirements were not set...anyone could register...there was no set program in which the student should take an exam...education was dominated by personal development and individual expression." In 1968, under the Directorship of George Lampe, the institution changed its name to "Psychopolis" and became something of a countercultural mecca, a "bustling breeding ground for bohemians and avant-gardists who walked in and out of the classes, but where exciting works of art were created..." (from the Academie's website, 2021). Among the legendary faculty at Psychopolis were Jan Sierhuis, Wil Bouthoorn, Peter Gentenaar, Georg Hadeler, Jan Snoeck, the filmmaker Frans Zwartjes, and others, all pictured in action here. This unconventional catalogue, clearly intended to reflect the gestalt of the institution (with minimal interference in the way of hard information) is uncommon; not separately catalogued in OCLC, KVK, or COPAC.