Illustrator

Thé Tjong-Khing

Thé Tjong-Khing (b.1933) studied for three years at art school in Bandung, Indonesia. In 1956 he came to the Netherlands, where he worked at the studio of the most celebrated Dutch cartoonist, Marten Toonder. Until the end of the 1960s he mainly drew comics like the Arman & Ilva series, with Iris (1968) the high point. Then followed a rich career as a children’s book illustra- tor. Thé Tjong-Khing has received many prizes for his work, including the Max Velthuijs Prize for his children’s book oeuvre.

Never Tickle a Crocodile

Never Tickle a Crocodile

Robber Chief Wrinklebeard has two cheeky sons and a very obedient daugh­ter. On his deathbed he gives his children the following advice: do what you want, steal anything from anyone, but never tickle a crocodile. Only his obedient daughter does as she’s told.

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Art with Cake

Art with Cake

Deciding to create picture books by himself, without any intervention from a narrator, is perhaps the best decision Thé Tjong-Khing has made in his long career. This artist, whose every line speaks volumes, does not need any words at all.

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Hieronymus

Hieronymus

An adventure in the world of Hieronymus Bosch

In Hieronymus, an art-related picture book by Tjong-Khing, a young boy loses his hat, his backpack and his ball in the world of Hieronymus Bosch.

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The Princess and the Paradise Garden

The Princess and the Paradise Garden

The princesses in De prinses en de paradijstuin (The Princess and the Paradise Garden) couldn’t care less about royal etiquette. Instead of marrying a prince, they’d rather have a swineherd or a stable lad. And when their eyes do happen to fall on a majestic specimen, they always seem to be lazy good-for-nothings or have bandy legs.

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Iris

Iris

A Novel for the Eye

Thé Tjong-Khing’s Iris, a Novel for the Eye marked the peak of his career as a cartoonist. He and scriptwriter Lo Hartog van Banda were looking for a way to reach the hearts of the socially motivated young people of the late 1960s, who were growing up with comic strips and television. Khing’s drawings are therefore more dominant than Hartog van Banda’s texts.

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