Constant. New Babylon. To Us Liberty

An open city without borders that is capable of flowing out in all directions to allow its residents to develop as freely as they do flexibly. This fascinating utopia of architectural and lifeworld growth forms the starting point of Constant’s (1920–2005) lifelong project: New Babylon. Between 1956 and 1974, the Dutch painter and co-founder of the avant-garde movement COBRA worked on numerous models, paintings, drawings, and collages for the purpose of depicting his vision of the nomadic city of the future.

This book and catalog to the exhibition in Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, (28.05 2016 - 02.10.2016) focuses not only on the architectural aspects but embraces them as an artist’s synthesis of the arts. Besides his models, drawings, and collages, attention is also given to the designs in order to trace the creative artistic process. This not only provides extensive insight into utopian urban planning, but to a greater degree into a mode of thought and imagination.

With texts by Constant, Pascal Gielen, Laura Stamps, Willemijn Stokvis, Mark Wigley, Trudy van der Horst, interview with Rem Koolhaas