Rien Poortvliet

Rien Poortvliet was a Dutch artist and illustrator.

Life

Born in Schiedam, Poortvliet was best known for his drawings of animals and for "Gnomes", a famous series of illustrated books with text by Wil Huygen.
Poortvliet did not attend art school and his family discouraged him from becoming an artist: `My family thought that artists were, you know, a little bit dangerous, all those naked women, all that drinking all night." Instead, Poortvliet's father wanted him pursue a profession that would produce a stable income, so Poortvliet began a career in advertising, initially drawing scenes of families for soap companies. Poortvliet took more pleasure in the work he did on the side for several publishers. He illustrated various books, among them works by Jaap ter Haar, and Godfried Bomans. He was also a passionate hunter, which led him to drawing various nature subjects.
By the end of the 1960s, Poortvliet was able to make a living as an independent illustrator. To supplement his income, he made a book out of his drawings and watercolours based on his hunting experiences. Later on, he also made a similar work concerning the life of Jesus Christ.
For years his works were published by Van Holkema en Warendorf in Bussum, where his "Leven en werken van de Kabouter" went through 59 printings. With the Gnomes series, Poortvliet acquired international fame. This series took on a life of its own, and was turned into an animated series, The World of David the Gnome in 1985.
His books have been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, Italian and other languages.
The Rien Poortvliet Museum is on the island of Tiengemeten in The Netherlands.
Poortvliet found recognition when Prince Bernhard opened the Rien Poortvliet Museum in 1992. This museum stood in the old, historic Town Hall of Middelharnis, "Fortunately far away from the modern art gang in Amsterdam" as Poortvliet said in an interview.
Rien Poortvliet died in Soest in 1995 of bone cancer at the age of 63. He was survived by his wife Corrie Bouman and their two sons.

Works

Jachttekeningen
...de Vossen hebben holen
*The living forest: a world of animals
Hij was een van ons
*He Was One of Us: The Life of Jesus of Nazareth
Te Hooi en te gras
*The Farm Book
Leven en werken van de Kabouter
*Gnomes
Het brieschend paard
*Horses
Van de hak op de tak
*Dutch Treat: The Artist's Life, Written and Painted by Himself
De oproep der kabouters
*Secrets of the Gnomes
De ark van Noach, of ere wie ere toekomt
*Noah's Ark 08-109-1371-2
Langs het tuinpad van mijn vaderen
*In my grandfather's house
Het boek van Klaas Vaak en het ABC van de slaap
*The Book of the Sandman and the Alphabet of Sleep
De tresoor van Jacob Jansz. Poortvliet
*Daily Life in Holland in the Year 1566
Braaf
*Dogs
Aanloop
*Journey to the Ice Age: Mammoths and Other Animals of the Wild
Kabouter Spreekwoordenboek
Het Kabouterkookboek
''Tussen gaap & slaap''