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The Fool (design Collective)




The Fool were a Dutch design collective who were influential in the Psychedelic style of art in British popular music at the end of the 1960s . The colourful art draws on many fantastical and mystical themes. The name is a reference to The Fool Tarot Card .

The original members were Dutch artists Simon Posthuma and Marijke Koger who were discovered by photographer Karl Ferris among the Hippie community on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 1966 . He took photographs of clothes designed by them and sent them to London where they were published in The Times and immediately caused a sensation. Ferris took the Fool back to London and together they opened a studio, with the Dutch artists producing clothes and art and Ferris pursuing photography. Barry Finch and an artist recorded only as Josie joined later.

Their work includes:
  • The colourful clothes worn by the Hollies on the cover of their 1966 album ''Evolution''

  • The striking cover of the Incredible String Band 's classic 1967 LP ''The 5000 spirits or the layers of the onion''

  • The inner sleeve for The Beatles ' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

  • The clothes The Beatles wore for the 1967 TV broadcast of " All You Need Is Love ", and also the decoration of John Lennon 's Gibson J160E acoustic guitar, which appeared in the broadcast

  • A huge 3-storey mural painted in psychedelic colours on the facade of the Beatles' Apple Boutique in London's Baker Street , which also stocked their creations. Months later, the mural was painted over by civic order, due to protests from other local businesses, before the shop failed

  • The bodywork on John Lennon's Rolls-Royce . This outraged one old woman in central London who attacked it with her umbrella, shouting: "You swine, you swine! How dare you do this to a Rolls-Royce!" (He answered by obtaining another Rolls, and painting it flat-black)

  • Decoration to John Lennon's Piano

  • Decoration to George Harrison 's Mini Car and bungalow Kinfauns (including a custom fireplace), as well as several of Harrison's guitars

  • Decoration to Eric Clapton 's legendary Gibson SG guitar and Jack Bruce 's Fender VI (six-string) bass for the 1967 Cream tour of the US

  • Set design for Joe Massot 's 1968 movie '' Wonderwall ''. They also appeared in the film's party scene.

  • Paul McCartney 's upright piano



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