It began as an exercise in further idealizing the layout of Leiden's city center – already an almost ideal city center, with its canal encircling it and the river converging in the center around a hill topped by a castle – into the most limited graphic form possible, working in just three directions: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal. After its completion, the intervening spaces begged for interpretation, and, undoubtedly inspired by visual reminiscences of the work of designers and artists in the De Stijl movement, it unintentionally became an ode to Theo van Doesburg, the movement's founder, who lived in Leiden from 1916 to 1920.

The artistic movement De Stijl was founded by Van Doesburg in 1917 in Leiden and advocated a reduction to foundation and the essence of reality. The exclusive use of primary colours (yellow, red and blue) and black, grey and white and of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines are characteristic for De Stijl. The Leiden city centre beautifully proved to fit in this straitjacket.

• 2022 – Included in the large atlas 'Maps That Made History' by author Martijn Storms, curator of maps and atlases at Leiden University.
• 2011 — Article in Leidsch Dagblad about 'Four views on Leiden'
• 2010 — Exhibition at Leiden University, 'Four views on Leiden'
• 2010 — Liam Kirk (University of Manchester, Geography), essay 'Leiden: An Alternative Map For An Alternative City?'
• 2009 — Added to the Special Collections, Leiden University Libraries
• 2009 — Exhibition 'Kaart als Kunst' at Museum De Lakenhal
• 2009 — Articles in Leids Nieuwsblad, Leidsch Dagblad
• 2009 — Publication in the guide 'Op de kaart', Open Monumentendag
• 2009 — Publication in 'De Geograaf'
• 2008 — Included in the Strange Maps collection, an Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities
• 2008 — Included in the Harrie Teunissen/John Steegh collection
• 2008 — Included in the Heritage Leiden collection
• 2008 — Exhibited at RAP Architectuurcentrum, project 'U bevindt zich hier' (You are here)

De Stijl Kaart (2006)

Concept, composition: Jos Agasi

UV-print on paper
50 x 60 cm / 80 x 100 cm (framed)
edition: 50 (<20 available)
vacuum-sealed and framed (Barth, aluminium)
museum glass (reflects much less than regular glass)
passe-partout (black)
numbered and signed

€ 595,- / € 695,-