Thé Tjong-Khing

Thé Tjong-Khing studied at Quellinusschool. The recorded working language is Dutch. The field of work recorded is illustration, comic and young adult literature. Places of work recorded in the authority are Amsterdam and Haarlem. Work by Thé Tjong-Khing is recorded in the collections of CODA Museum. Distinctions recorded are Golden Paintbrush, Woutertje Pieterse prize, Max Velthuijs-prize and Silver Brush.

• Born — 4 August 1933

He was born in Purworedjo, Java, Dutch East Indies to a large Chinese Indonesian family. As a child he was interested in the Tarzan comic strips of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tjong-Khing attended the Seni Rupa (arts) institute in Bandung. He came to the Netherlands in 1956 and started as a draftsman at the Toonder Studio's, initially as a volunteer and later as an employee. In addition to his work on Oliver B. Bumble comics, he contributed to the magazine Tina and created Arman & Ilva. In 1970 he was asked to provide illustration for Miep Diekmann's children's book. He became a freelance illustrator providing illustration to many children's book authors such as van Guus Kuijer, Els Pelgrom, Sylvia Vanden Heede en Dolf Verroen. Tjong-Khing won the Gouden Penseel (Golden Brush) award three times, and in 2005 won the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs for his book Waar is de taart? (Where is the cake?), a picturebook without text. For this he also won the Zilveren Penseel and was nominated for the Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis in 2007. In 2010 he won the Max Velthuijs-prijs (Max Velthuijs Prize).