Editing Dick Bruna (section)

== Biography ==
Dick Bruna's father, A. W. Bruna, directed the family-owned publishing company [[A.W. Bruna Uitgevers|Bruna]], with his brother [[Henk Bruna]]. His father's intentions were for Bruna to follow in his footsteps,<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=witman>{{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}}</ref>

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),<ref name=Guardian>{{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}}</ref> the word a Dutch child might use as the diminutive for "konijntje", "little rabbit".<ref>{{youTube|JaXkbdpLjX4|Nijntje liedje - lief klein konijntje (refrein) (English: "Miffy song - sweet little bunny (chorus)")}}</ref>

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<!-- http://www.zwartebeertjes.nl/ --> (English: little black bears) series of books, including [[Simon Templar|The Saint]], [[James Bond]], [[Georges Simenon|Simenon]], and [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]. He has said that the Japanese character [[Hello Kitty]] was copied from Miffy.<ref>{{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".'}}</ref>

In 2014, Bruna announced his retirement, after which the rights to the Miffy character were not to be sold.<ref>{{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}}</ref>  In March 2016 he was awarded the [[Max Velthuijs-prijs]].<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref name="max_velthuijs_nu_nl">{{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}}</ref>

Bruna died of natural causes in his sleep in Utrecht on 16 February 2017 at the age of 89.<ref name="wapodeath">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>