Dick Bruna Collection
The Centraal Museum holds almost the entire body of work by Dick Bruna (Utrecht, 1927–2017, Utrecht) on long-term loan.
Bruna gained worldwide fame with his creation ‘nijntje’ (Miffy), but had already achieved considerable success as the cover designer for publisher A.W. Bruna’s Zwarte Beertjes paperback series. He was also known for his designs for the city of Utrecht and numerous non-profit organisations, including Amnesty International, the Red Cross and World Peace is Possible. Dick Bruna lived and worked in Utrecht for almost his entire life. For nearly 30 years, he kept a studio in the attic of a printing house in Utrecht’s city centre.
The Dick Bruna Collection at the Centraal Museum comprises some 25,000 works. These include designs, drawings and posters, as well as a number of the awards he received for them, screen prints and early independent work. The retrospective organised by the Centraal Museum in 2000 prompted Bruna to gradually entrust his body of work to the museum. Since September 2015, his studio, complete with its original contents and his iconic bicycle, has also had a permanent place in the Centraal Museum. The studio is closed for renovations until November 2027.
