Wilfried Sätty: The Psychedelic Alchemist of Collage

Sätty didn’t just create art—he conjured alternate realities.

A glimpse of Sätty in his “Secret Pad,” featured in the March 23, 1968 Saturday Evening Post article “Pop Goes the Poster” by Herbert Gold. Photograph by Gene Anthony.

Wilfried Sätty (1939–1982) didn’t just create art—he conjured alternate realities. Born in Bremen, Germany, and later an icon of San Francisco’s counterculture, Sätty turned the ancient craft of collage into a kaleidoscope of surrealist dreams and historical tales. With a career spanning the psychedelic 1960s to the introspective 1980s, Sätty’s work chronicled the chaotic spirit of his time and set a benchmark for visionary art.

Album cover by Sätty for"The Aura Will Prevail", George Duke; MPS Records, 1975. Separate European release, 1975.

Sätty’s world revolved around his multi-storied railroad flat on Powell Street, nestled near North Beach’s jazz scene and the iconic City Lights Bookstore. Thomas Albright famously called the house “Mrs. Havisham’s parlor meets Luna Park.” At its heart was a basement playland, the enigmatic centerpiece of Sätty’s legendary 1970s parties, which drew luminaries of the West Coast counterculture, from members of the Grateful Dead to Jack Nicholson. Draped in incense, candlelight, worn tapestries, and occult books, the space radiated bohemian allure.

A short clip from the animated color film based on The Cosmic Bicycle in 1972, produced by Les Goldman and Bonanza Films in San Francisco, with a music score by "Beaver and Kraus." This film has been featured at numerous film festivals across Europe and America. (Source: Visual Melt)

Herbert Gold, writing for The Saturday Evening Post in 1968, described Sätty as “one of the most experimental, daring poster artists” of the San Francisco psychedelic scene. Sätty’s legacy endures decades later through exhibitions such as the Portland Art Museum’s Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s, co-curated by Gary Westford, a prolific exhibition designer, cultural historian, and devoted Sätty enthusiast.

Tripping Through the 1960s: Psychedelia and Poster Art

The 1960s saw Sätty’s creative explosion in the heart of San Francisco’s counterculture. He crafted vibrant, large-scale posters that merged bold Op-Art patterns with intricate surrealist compositions. These works weren’t just art; they were statements, critiquing media manipulation while pushing the boundaries of visual perception.

The Inner Eye (1968), a 36 x 24-inch poster by Sätty, mesmerizes with its layered hues of red, green, and blue, creating a pulsating 3D illusion that transcends its surface.

One standout piece, The Inner Eye (1968), encapsulates the swirling energy of the era. Measuring 36 x 24 inches, its hypnotic layers of red, green, and blue create a pulsating, 3D effect that transcends the page. Rock poster collector John Sisson, who owns the original color separation films, called it “a masterpiece of layered complexity.”

The 1970s: A Journey into Literary Allegory

As the 1970s dawned, Sätty traded kaleidoscopic colors for the haunting precision of black-and-white collages. These works illustrated literary classics and explored allegorical themes. Art historian Thomas Albright likened Sätty’s meticulous technique to that of “a medieval copyist,” blending reality and fantasy so seamlessly it became impossible to distinguish one from the other.

The Cosmic Bicycle (1971), Collection of Collages, Published by Straight Arrow Books

The Cosmic Bicycle (1971) marked Sätty’s first major foray into book illustration. Featuring over 60 collages, the book wove surreal imagery into meditations on time and motion.

Plate from The Cosmic Bicycle: Untitled (“Masked Woman”), by Wilfried Sätty, approx. 8 x 12 inches, collage with dark ink outlines and fine white painted stars.

One particularly striking piece, the “Masked Woman,” depicts a mystical figure enshrouded in bird feathers, seemingly astral-projecting through a void. Beneath her, artichoke flowers sprout cherubic figures, blending cosmic wonder with earthy symbolism.

The cover of Sätty’s monograph book Timezone (1973). Published by Straight Arrow Books, a division of Rolling Stone.

In Timezone (1973), Sätty’s vision expanded further, juxtaposing epochs of civilization with cyclical themes of growth and decay. These works, enriched with flying saucers and occult motifs, explore the fleeting zeniths of human creativity.

The frontispiece from Timezone, approx. 6 x 9 inches. A key example of the style of juxtaposition of classical cultures and symbolism, major themes of the book.

His later illustrations, such as The Fall of the House of Usher (1975), brought gothic literature to life with an atmospheric blend of 19th-century engravings and modern abstraction.

The Fall of the House of Usher (1975), Title Page, 11 x 2 inches

Gold Rush Fantasies: Sätty’s Homage to San Francisco

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw Sätty delve into historical narratives, focusing on the mythic past of San Francisco. His collages from this period portray the wild chaos of the Gold Rush, blending archival elements with surreal reinterpretations.

Featured on the cover of Visions of Frisco (2007), curated and annotated by Walter Medeiros, is a remarkable late-1970s collage. At 8 x 6 inches, it exemplifies Sätty’s masterful blend of archival elements and surrealist artistry.

These works culminated in the posthumous release of Visions of Frisco (2007), curated by Walter Medeiros. This collection reveals both the grotesque and grandiose facets of the city’s history, cementing Sätty’s role as a visual historian.

Alchemy in Art: Sätty’s Enduring Legacy

Across his career, Sätty’s art remained a bridge between past and present, fantasy and reality. Drawing inspiration from Max Ernst and the Dadaists, his collages combined alchemical motifs, theatrical compositions, and found imagery to create something uniquely his own.

One of Sätty’s more obviously Dadaist collages from The Cosmic Bicycle

“In Sätty—and in his work—the ageless realm of visions, dreams, archetypes, and the contemporary world of sophisticated technology seem alchemically united,” Albright observed. Decades after his untimely death, Sätty’s pieces continue to captivate, offering a timeless portal into worlds of imagination and wonder.

Page 155 from Timezone. Collage by Wilfried Sätty

About the Author

Ryan Medeiros is a designer, artist, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As co-executor of the Walter Medeiros/Wilfried Sätty estate, he is dedicated to preserving and sharing Sätty’s remarkable legacy.