Dick Bruna
{{Short description|Dutch author and artist (1927–2017)}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = Dick Bruna
| image = Dick Bruna.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Bruna in his studio in 2007
| birth_name = Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna
| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|8|23|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Utrecht, Netherlands
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|2|16|1927|8|23|df=yes}}
| death_place = Utrecht, Netherlands
| nationality = Dutch
| field = Artist, graphic designer, illustrator/author of children's books
| training =
| movement =
| works = Miffy
| patrons =
| spouse = Irene de Jongh (m: 1953) {{cite web | url=https://www.nijntje.nl/over-dick-bruna/biografie | title=Dick Bruna: Biografie | publisher=www.nijntje.nl | access-date=4 January 2020}}
| awards = Golden Paintbrush
}}
Dick Bruna (born Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna, 23 August 1927 – 16 February 2017){{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-17/miffy-children-book-creator-dick-bruna-passes-away/.112392 |title='Miffy' Children's Book Creator Dick Bruna Passes Away |publisher=Anime News Network |date=17 February 2017 |access-date=21 February 2021}} was a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer.
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 Boris Bear, Poppy Pig, Snuffy, Lottie, Farmer John, Kitty Nelly, 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 {{ill|Zwarte Beertjes|nl}} (English, "little black bears") 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.
Biography
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,{{Cite web |title=Dick Bruna – dutch graphic roots |date=23 August 1927 |url=https://www.dutchgraphicroots.nl/en/dick-bruna/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |language=en-GB}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3656988/I-saw-Matisse-and-came-up-with-Miffy.html|title='I saw Matisse - and came up with Miffy'|last=Secher|first=Benjamin|work=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2017-05-26|language=en}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Witman|first1=Bob|title=Dick Bruna (1927–2017) creëerde met Nijntje een universum waarin geen cynisme of kwaad bestaat|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/boeken/dick-bruna-1927-2017-creeerde-met-nijntje-een-universum-waarin-geen-cynisme-of-kwaad-bestaat%7Ea4463928/|access-date=17 February 2017|work=de Volkskrant|date=17 February 2017|language=nl}}
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),{{Cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/17/miffy-creator-dick-bruna-has-died-aged-89 | work = The Guardian | title = Miffy creator Dick Bruna has died aged 89 |first = Sian | last = Cain | date = 17 February 2017 | access-date = 17 February 2017}} the word a Dutch child might use as the diminutive for "konijntje", "little rabbit".{{youTube|JaXkbdpLjX4|Nijntje liedje - lief klein konijntje (refrein) (English: "Miffy song - sweet little bunny (chorus)")}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3557810/Dick-Bruna-creator-of-the-Miffy-books-talks-about-his-life-and-work.html |title=Dick Bruna, creator of the Miffy books, talks about his life and work |last=Harrod |first=Horatia |date=31 July 2008 |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=17 September 2019 |quote=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".'}}
In 2014, Bruna announced his retirement, after which the rights to the Miffy character were not to be sold.{{cite news | url=http://www.nltimes.nl/2014/07/30/nijntje-creator-dick-bruna-retires/ | title=Nijntje creator Dick Bruna retires | work=NLTimes | date=30 July 2014 | access-date=31 July 2014 | author=Maxime Zech}} In March 2016 he was awarded the Max Velthuijs-prijs.{{cite web|url=http://nos.nl/artikel/2093095-dick-bruna-krijgt-de-max-velthuijs-prijs-voor-zijn-hele-oeuvre.html |title=Dick Bruna krijgt de Max Velthuijs-prijs voor zijn hele oeuvre |language=nl |publisher=Nederlandse Omroep Stichting |date=16 March 2016 |access-date=18 March 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nu.nl/boek/4325257/dick-bruna-ontvangt-max-velthuijs-prijs-2016.html|title=Dick Bruna ontvangt Max Velthuijs-prijs 2016|date=22 September 2016|publisher=NU.nl|access-date=14 April 2019|archive-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414002208/https://www.nu.nl/boek/4325257/dick-bruna-ontvangt-max-velthuijs-prijs-2016.html|language=nl|url-status=live}}
Bruna died of natural causes in his sleep in Utrecht on 16 February 2017 at the age of 89.{{cite news|title=Dick Bruna, 'spiritual father' of rabbit Miffy, dies at 89|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/artist-dick-bruna-creator-of-rabbit-miffy-has-died-at-89/2017/02/17/150e03ae-f51b-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218065746/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/artist-dick-bruna-creator-of-rabbit-miffy-has-died-at-89/2017/02/17/150e03ae-f51b-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 February 2017|newspaper=Washington Post|last1=Corder|first1=Mike|access-date=17 February 2017|date=17 February 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://nos.nl/artikel/2158702-tekenaar-dick-bruna-89-overleden.html |title=Tekenaar Dick Bruna (89) overleden |language=nl |publisher=Nederlandse Omroep Stichting |date=17 February 2017 |access-date=17 February 2017}}
Bibliography (as children's author)
File:Delfzijl Maigret 01.jpg 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.{{cite book
| last = Linders
| first = Joke
|author2=Joke Linders |author3=Koosje Sierman |author4=Ivo de Wijs |author5=Truusje Vrooland-Löb
| title = Dick Bruna
| publisher = Waanders Publisher, Zwolle/Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam
| year = 2006
| isbn = 90-400-8342-8 | edition = English
}}
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|reason=This could be false.|date=February 2017}} Later he admired Rembrandt and Van Gogh.{{Citation needed|reason=This could be false.|date=February 2017}}
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.{{cite news
| last = Allardice
| first = Lisa
| pages = 12–27
| publisher = The Guardian UK
| date = 15 February 2006
| url = http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/childrenandteens/story/0,,1709988,00.html
| access-date = 26 October 2007
| location=London
| title=Children's and teenager's books (Children's books genre), Books, Culture, Ireland (News), Europe (News)}}
Partial list of biographies and monographs
- {{cite book
| title = Petit Glam Issue no. 3- Paradise in Pictograms Issue
| publisher = Petit Glam
| year = 1998
| isbn = 4-7713-0329-0 }}
- {{cite book
| last = Jansen
| first = Bert
| title = Dick Bruna boekomslagen
| publisher = Centraal Museum
| year = 1998
| isbn = 90-73285-71-2 }}
- {{cite book
| last = Widdershoven
| first = Thomas
|author2=Thomas Widdershoven |author3=Gert Staal |author3-link=Gert Staal | title = boris en de paraplu
| publisher = Centraal Museum
| year = 1998
| isbn = 90-73285-74-7 }}
- {{cite book
| editor-last = Yanagimoto
| editor-first = Koichi
| title = Zwarte Beertjes- Book Cover Designs by Dick Bruna
| publisher = Glyph
| year = 2004
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Linders
| first = Joke
|author2=Joke Linders |author3=Koosje Sierman |author4=Ivo de Wijs |author5=Truusje Vrooland-Löb
| title = Dick Bruna
| publisher = Waanders Publisher, Zwolle/Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam
| year = 2006
| isbn = 90-400-8342-8 | edition = English
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Reitsma
| first = Ella
| author2 = Ella Reisma |editor=Kees Nieuwenhuijzen
| title = Het paradijs in Pictogram (Paradise in Pictograms)
| publisher = Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam
| year = 1989
}}
- {{cite book
| last = Kohnstamm
| first = Dolph
| title = The eye demands an eye- Reflections about the children's books by Dick Bruna (English ed.)
| publisher = Mercis Publishing, Amsterdam
| year = 1991
| isbn = 90-73991-03-X }}
- {{cite book
| last = ディック・ブルーナ
| title = ディック・ブルーナ ぼくのこと、ミッフィーのこと (単行本)
| publisher = Kodansha publishers, Ltd. 講談社
| year = 2005
| isbn = 4-06-212826-8 }}
- {{cite book
| title = All About Dick Bruna ディック・ブルーナのすべて (単行本)
| publisher = Kodansha publishers, Ltd. 講談社
| date = 1999–2002
| isbn = 4-06-208962-9 }}
References
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.miffy.com Official Miffy site]
- [http://arttube.nl/en/video/Boijmans/DP_Dick_Bruna Video portrait and interview with Dick Bruna (Dutch Profiles)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514211325/http://arttube.nl/en/video/Boijmans/DP_Dick_Bruna |date=2015-05-14 }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071016082112/http://www.dickbrunahuis.nl/index.phtml?MenuLink=Home&Language=EN Dick Bruna Huis – The Permanent Collection at Utrecht's Central Museum]
{{Miffy}}
{{Authority control (arts)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruna, Dick}}
Category:Artists from Utrecht (city)
Category:Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Category:Dutch children's book illustrators
Category:Dutch children's writers
Category:Dutch graphic designers
Category:Dutch graphic artists
Category:Writers who illustrated their own writing
Category:Dutch expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Dutch expatriates in France
Category:Max Velthuijs Prize winners