WHO WAS DICK BRUNA?
Dick Bruna published 124 picture books that sold more than 85 million copies in more than fifty languages. His best-known volumes were those featuring Miffy, the white bunny. Over time, Miffy has become an iconic figure of childhood.
In Short
Artist full name:
Dick Bruna
Nationality:
Dutch
Date of birth - Date of death:
August 23, 1927 - February 16, 2017
Art movements:
Illustrator, Designer
Related artists:
Charles M. Schulz, Hergé, Bill Watterson, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss
Main works:
Miffy Writing, Karnemelk, Poster Zwarte Beertjes, On Stage
Related categories:
Biography
Dutch artist and illustrator Dick Bruna was born on August 23, 1927, and died on February 16, 2017.Bruna began drawing as a diversion during the German occupation of World War II. After the war, Mr. Bruna apprenticed at the W.H. Smith bookstore in London, the Plon publishing company in Paris and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam before joining his family’s firm, A.W. Bruna & Zoon.Bruna distinguished himself designing book covers and posters before devoting himself to children’s writing full time. He created Miffy in 1995 after he and his young son encountered a playful rabbit during a seaside vacation.Looking back on Miffy, he said he hoped she had sparked the imaginations of young readers “to see things in their simplest form.” “So that life, with all its complications becomes a little clearer.”
Simply Dick Bruna
Before his retirement, Dick Bruna cycled to work in his studio every day. It wasn't uncommon to see him cycling alongside the city's canals. Even after he stopped working, he enjoyed cycling through his beloved Utrecht. He didn't look like a famous artist, but more like Miffy's grandfather: a bespectacled elderly gentleman with a friendly twinkle in his eye and a lovely white moustache. He was simply Dick Bruna.