Children loved Dutch illustrator’s little rabbit
Grown-up art lovers also appreciated the simplicity and beauty of Bruna’s work
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS Dick Bruna, the Dutch illustrator and artist who created the bestselling series of children’s books starring white rabbit Miffy, has died at age 89.
His Dutch publisher, Mercis, said Bruna died peacefully in his sleep on Feb. 16 in the central Dutch city of Utrecht.
Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna was born in Utrecht on Aug. 23, 1927. His father, A. W. Bruna, directed the family-owned publishing company with his brother Henk Bruna. His father’s intentions were for Bruna to follow in his footsteps, but Bruna had different plans and wanted to be an artist.
He travelled to London and lived for a while in Paris, where he fell under the influence of Ferdinand Leger, Pablo Picasso, and especially Henri Matisse.
Back in the Netherlands he attended the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam but soon quit. He said after that he had no talent as a painter and could not draw perspective.
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), the word a Dutch child might use for the diminutive “konijntje,” or “little rabbit.”
Bruna illustrated more than 2,000 covers and more than 100 posters for the family business, A.W. Bruna & Zoon. His most recognized illustrations were for the Zwarte Beertjes (English: little black bears) series of books, including The Saint, James Bond, Georges Simenon, and Shakespeare.
The simplicity of Bruna’s characters drew adoration not only from children around the world, but also from adult art lovers. Amsterdam’s venerable Rijksmuseum put on a show featuring his work in 2015.
He wrote and illustrated a total of 124 books, but Miffy was far and away the most popular and best known.