Bruna was best known for his children's books which he authored and illustrated, numbering over 200. His most notable creation was Miffy (Nijntje in the original Dutch), a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines, simple shapes and primary colours. Bruna also created stories for characters such as Lottie, Farmer John, and Hettie Hedgehog.
Aside from his prolific catalog of children's books, Bruna also illustrated and designed book covers, posters and promotional materials for his father's publishing company A.W. Bruna & Zoon. His most popular designs graced the covers of the Zwarte Beertjes [nl] series of books. Well known among his designs are those for Simenon'sMaigret books, typified by graphic silhouettes of a pipe on various backgrounds.
Dick Bruna's father, A. W. Bruna, directed the family-owned publishing company Bruna, with his brother Henk Bruna. His father's intentions were for Bruna to follow in his footsteps,[3] but Bruna had different plans and wanted to be an artist. He traveled to London and lived for a while in Paris, where he fell under the influence of Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso, and especially Henri Matisse.[4] Back in the Netherlands he attended the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam but soon quit; he said afterwards that he had no talent as a painter and could not draw perspective.[5]
In 1955, while on family holiday, he saw a rabbit hopping around and later made attempts to draw it, thereby creating "Nijntje" ("Miffy" in English),[6] the word a Dutch child might use as the diminutive for "konijntje", "little rabbit".[7]
Bruna illustrated over 2,000 covers and over 100 posters for the family business, A.W. Bruna & Zoon. But when the Amsterdam company Art Unlimited decided to publish Poster & Postcards following Roby Bellemans traveling international exhibitions with Dutch and other children book illustrators, Dick Bruna approached Roby about this collaboration and decided to let Art Unlimited publish his “Nijntje” cards. His most recognized illustrations were for the Zwarte Beertjes (English: little black bears) series of books, including The Saint, James Bond, Simenon, and Shakespeare. He has said that the Japanese character Hello Kitty was copied from Miffy.[8]
In 2014, Bruna announced his retirement, after which the rights to the Miffy character were not to be sold.[9] In March 2016 he was awarded the Max Velthuijs-prijs.[10][11]
Bruna died of natural causes in his sleep in Utrecht on 16 February 2017 at the age of 89.[12][13]
Bruna published 120 children's book titles, the last being Miffy is Naughty in 2017.[14]
Influences
At a young age Bruna started drawing, but was also influenced by artists of other art forms. He drew covers for his school newspaper in Walt Disney style.[citation needed] Later he admired Rembrandt and Van Gogh.[citation needed]
The biggest influence was perhaps Matisse. Dick Bruna's first works were based on collages by the French painter. Bruna has also been noted to have been influenced by the Dutch graphic design movement, De Stijl, in particular the work of architect Gerrit Rietveld.[15]
Partial list of biographies and monographs
Petit Glam Issue no. 3- Paradise in Pictograms Issue. Petit Glam. 1998. ISBN4-7713-0329-0.
Jansen, Bert (1998). Dick Bruna boekomslagen. Centraal Museum. ISBN90-73285-71-2.
Widdershoven, Thomas; Thomas Widdershoven; Gert Staal (1998). boris en de paraplu. Centraal Museum. ISBN90-73285-74-7.
Yanagimoto, Koichi, ed. (2004). Zwarte Beertjes- Book Cover Designs by Dick Bruna. Glyph.
Linders, Joke; Joke Linders; Koosje Sierman; Ivo de Wijs; Truusje Vrooland-Löb (2006). Dick Bruna (English ed.). Waanders Publisher, Zwolle/Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam. ISBN90-400-8342-8.
Reitsma, Ella; Ella Reisma (1989). Kees Nieuwenhuijzen (ed.). Het paradijs in Pictogram (Paradise in Pictograms). Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam.
Kohnstamm, Dolph (1991). The eye demands an eye- Reflections about the children's books by Dick Bruna (English ed.). Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam. ISBN90-73991-03-X.
^Secher, Benjamin. "'I saw Matisse - and came up with Miffy'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
^Witman, Bob (17 February 2017). "Dick Bruna (1927–2017) creëerde met Nijntje een universum waarin geen cynisme of kwaad bestaat". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 February 2017.
^Cain, Sian (17 February 2017). "Miffy creator Dick Bruna has died aged 89". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
^Nijntje liedje - lief klein konijntje (refrein) (English: "Miffy song - sweet little bunny (chorus)") on YouTube
^Harrod, Horatia (31 July 2008). "Dick Bruna, creator of the Miffy books, talks about his life and work". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September 2019. The only other time in our conversation when Bruna's brow clouds over is when we discuss Hello Kitty, the Japanese cartoon beloved of cute-obsessed schoolgirls and lovers of kitsch throughout the world. 'That,' he says darkly, 'is a copy [of Miffy], I think. I don't like that at all. I always think, "No, don't do that. Try to make something that you think of yourself".'
^Maxime Zech (30 July 2014). "Nijntje creator Dick Bruna retires". NLTimes. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
^"Dick Bruna krijgt de Max Velthuijs-prijs voor zijn hele oeuvre" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
^"Dick Bruna ontvangt Max Velthuijs-prijs 2016" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 22 September 2016. from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
^Corder, Mike (17 February 2017). . Washington Post. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
^"Tekenaar Dick Bruna (89) overleden" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Omroep Stichting. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
^Linders, Joke; Joke Linders; Koosje Sierman; Ivo de Wijs; Truusje Vrooland-Löb (2006). Dick Bruna (English ed.). Waanders Publisher, Zwolle/Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam. ISBN90-400-8342-8.
^Allardice, Lisa (15 February 2006). "Children's and teenager's books (Children's books genre), Books, Culture, Ireland (News), Europe (News)". London: The Guardian UK. pp. 12–27. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
Video portrait and interview with Dick Bruna (Dutch Profiles)
May 09, 2023
dick, bruna, born, hendrik, magdalenus, bruna, august, 1927, february, 2017, dutch, author, artist, illustrator, graphic, designer, bruna, studio, 2007bornhendrik, magdalenus, bruna, 1927, august, 1927utrecht, netherlandsdied16, february, 2017, 2017, aged, utr. Dick Bruna born Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna 23 August 1927 16 February 2017 2 was a Dutch author artist illustrator and graphic designer Dick BrunaBruna in his studio in 2007BornHendrik Magdalenus Bruna 1927 08 23 23 August 1927Utrecht NetherlandsDied16 February 2017 2017 02 16 aged 89 Utrecht NetherlandsNationalityDutchKnown forArtist graphic designer illustrator author of children s booksNotable workMiffySpouseIrene de Jongh m 1953 1 AwardsGolden PaintbrushBruna was best known for his children s books which he authored and illustrated numbering over 200 His most notable creation was Miffy Nijntje in the original Dutch a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines simple shapes and primary colours Bruna also created stories for characters such as Lottie Farmer John and Hettie Hedgehog Aside from his prolific catalog of children s books Bruna also illustrated and designed book covers posters and promotional materials for his father s publishing company A W Bruna amp Zoon His most popular designs graced the covers of the Zwarte Beertjes nl series of books Well known among his designs are those for Simenon s Maigret books typified by graphic silhouettes of a pipe on various backgrounds Contents 1 Biography 2 Bibliography as children s author 3 Influences 4 Partial list of biographies and monographs 5 References 6 External linksBiography EditDick Bruna s father A W Bruna directed the family owned publishing company Bruna with his brother Henk Bruna His father s intentions were for Bruna to follow in his footsteps 3 but Bruna had different plans and wanted to be an artist He traveled to London and lived for a while in Paris where he fell under the influence of Fernand Leger Pablo Picasso and especially Henri Matisse 4 Back in the Netherlands he attended the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam but soon quit he said afterwards that he had no talent as a painter and could not draw perspective 5 In 1955 while on family holiday he saw a rabbit hopping around and later made attempts to draw it thereby creating Nijntje Miffy in English 6 the word a Dutch child might use as the diminutive for konijntje little rabbit 7 Bruna illustrated over 2 000 covers and over 100 posters for the family business A W Bruna amp Zoon But when the Amsterdam company Art Unlimited decided to publish Poster amp Postcards following Roby Bellemans traveling international exhibitions with Dutch and other children book illustrators Dick Bruna approached Roby about this collaboration and decided to let Art Unlimited publish his Nijntje cards His most recognized illustrations were for the Zwarte Beertjes English little black bears series of books including The Saint James Bond Simenon and Shakespeare He has said that the Japanese character Hello Kitty was copied from Miffy 8 In 2014 Bruna announced his retirement after which the rights to the Miffy character were not to be sold 9 In March 2016 he was awarded the Max Velthuijs prijs 10 11 Bruna died of natural causes in his sleep in Utrecht on 16 February 2017 at the age of 89 12 13 Bibliography as children s author Edit Jules Maigret sculpture offered to Delfzijl Netherlands by A W Bruna Uitgevers Bruna published 120 children s book titles the last being Miffy is Naughty in 2017 14 Influences EditAt a young age Bruna started drawing but was also influenced by artists of other art forms He drew covers for his school newspaper in Walt Disney style citation needed Later he admired Rembrandt and Van Gogh citation needed The biggest influence was perhaps Matisse Dick Bruna s first works were based on collages by the French painter Bruna has also been noted to have been influenced by the Dutch graphic design movement De Stijl in particular the work of architect Gerrit Rietveld 15 Partial list of biographies and monographs EditPetit Glam Issue no 3 Paradise in Pictograms Issue Petit Glam 1998 ISBN 4 7713 0329 0 Jansen Bert 1998 Dick Bruna boekomslagen Centraal Museum ISBN 90 73285 71 2 Widdershoven Thomas Thomas Widdershoven Gert Staal 1998 boris en de paraplu Centraal Museum ISBN 90 73285 74 7 Yanagimoto Koichi ed 2004 Zwarte Beertjes Book Cover Designs by Dick Bruna Glyph Linders Joke Joke Linders Koosje Sierman Ivo de Wijs Truusje Vrooland Lob 2006 Dick Bruna English ed Waanders Publisher Zwolle Mercis Publishing Amsterdam ISBN 90 400 8342 8 Reitsma Ella Ella Reisma 1989 Kees Nieuwenhuijzen ed Het paradijs in Pictogram Paradise in Pictograms Mercis Publishing Amsterdam Kohnstamm Dolph 1991 The eye demands an eye Reflections about the children s books by Dick Bruna English ed Mercis Publishing Amsterdam ISBN 90 73991 03 X ディック ブルーナ 2005 ディック ブルーナ ぼくのこと ミッフィーのこと 単行本 Kodansha publishers Ltd 講談社 ISBN 4 06 212826 8 All About Dick Bruna ディック ブルーナのすべて 単行本 Kodansha publishers Ltd 講談社 1999 2002 ISBN 4 06 208962 9 References Edit Children s literature portal Dick Bruna Biografie www nijntje nl Retrieved 4 January 2020 Miffy Children s Book Creator Dick Bruna Passes Away Anime News Network 17 February 2017 Retrieved 21 February 2021 Dick Bruna dutch graphic roots Retrieved 2022 09 07 Secher Benjamin I saw Matisse and came up with Miffy Telegraph co uk Retrieved 2017 05 26 Witman Bob 17 February 2017 Dick Bruna 1927 2017 creeerde met Nijntje een universum waarin geen cynisme of kwaad bestaat de Volkskrant in Dutch Retrieved 17 February 2017 Cain Sian 17 February 2017 Miffy creator Dick Bruna has died aged 89 The Guardian Retrieved 17 February 2017 Nijntje liedje lief klein konijntje refrein English Miffy song sweet little bunny chorus on YouTube Harrod Horatia 31 July 2008 Dick Bruna creator of the Miffy books talks about his life and work The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 17 September 2019 The only other time in our conversation when Bruna s brow clouds over is when we discuss Hello Kitty the Japanese cartoon beloved of cute obsessed schoolgirls and lovers of kitsch throughout the world That he says darkly is a copy of Miffy I think I don t like that at all I always think No don t do that Try to make something that you think of yourself Maxime Zech 30 July 2014 Nijntje creator Dick Bruna retires NLTimes Retrieved 31 July 2014 Dick Bruna krijgt de Max Velthuijs prijs voor zijn hele oeuvre in Dutch Nederlandse Omroep Stichting 16 March 2016 Retrieved 18 March 2016 Dick Bruna ontvangt Max Velthuijs prijs 2016 in Dutch NU nl 22 September 2016 Archived from the original on 14 April 2019 Retrieved 14 April 2019 Corder Mike 17 February 2017 Dick Bruna spiritual father of rabbit Miffy dies at 89 Washington Post Archived from the original on 18 February 2017 Retrieved 17 February 2017 Tekenaar Dick Bruna 89 overleden in Dutch Nederlandse Omroep Stichting 17 February 2017 Retrieved 17 February 2017 Linders Joke Joke Linders Koosje Sierman Ivo de Wijs Truusje Vrooland Lob 2006 Dick Bruna English ed Waanders Publisher Zwolle Mercis Publishing Amsterdam ISBN 90 400 8342 8 Allardice Lisa 15 February 2006 Children s and teenager s books Children s books genre Books Culture Ireland News Europe News London The Guardian UK pp 12 27 Retrieved 26 October 2007 Rotterdam Walk of Fame Miffy Statue on the Nijntje Pleintje in Utrecht The Neudeflat in Utrecht Miffy Shop AmsterdamExternal links EditOfficial Miffy site Video portrait and interview with Dick Bruna Dutch Profiles Dick Bruna Huis The Permanent Collection at Utrecht s Central Museum Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dick Bruna amp oldid 1109025764, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
