Would you like to know more about Erik de Graaf's work? Then come to the Mondrian House on Friday 28 February to meet the cartoonist/graphic designer.
The work of Erik de Graaf is currently on display at the Mondrian House in the exhibition Mondrian, a better world. The comic book author honours the famous painter with a colourful story about the last eventful years of his life. Still on view until 13 April 2025.
The reason for this exhibition is De Graaf's graphic novel of the same name. In this hefty publication, the graphic novelist depicts how Mondrian spent the last 11 years of his life travelling from Paris, to London and eventually to New York, fleeing from the rising tide of Nazism in Europe. Against the backdrop of World War II, Mondrian continued to search until his death for a way to bring light to the increasing darkness in the world.
About Erik de Graaf
Erik de Graaf (Vlaardingen, 1961) has been drawing since he could hold a pencil. However, it took another 40 years before he made his debut as a comic book author.
From 2003, the following appeared in quick succession Faded Memories, Coloured Memory and Found Past, three collections of short stories, loosely based on his childhood. With Shards and Scars De Graaf then made a diptych about a group of young friends during World War II. These publications also appeared in French at Dupuis under the titles Éclats and Cicatrices.
Beginning October 2024 Mondrian, a better world published. Want to know more? Then read the interview with Erik de Graaf in which he talks about how his book and the exhibition came about.
Meet & Greet
Friday, 28 February it is possible to meet Erik de Graaf. He is from 11.30am to 1.30pm at the Mondrian House to explain his work and answer questions. The meet & greet is free with museum admission. For those who wish, Erik can sign a copy of his graphic novel Mondrian, a better world (available at the museum shop, among others).
Children's workshop: Make your own comic strip
Following the Meet & Greet, Erik de Graaf will host a children's workshop: Create your own comic strip. Together with Erik, children first visit the exhibition. Here, Erik shows you what kind of drawings he makes and how he comes up with a comic strip. Then they get to work themselves. Kids make up their own story (maybe even about Piet Mondrian!) and then turn it into a real comic strip. With drawings, colours and word balloons: anything goes. And of course Erik helps them on their way.
