Only one work of art from Utrecht is more famous around the world than the Rietveld chair, and that is miffy, the little rabbit created by Dick Bruna in 1955. Design icon, children’s character, fashion brand – miffy is an international phenomenon. Since February 2006, the work of Dick Bruna is on permanent display in the dick bruna house, opposite the Centraal Museum in Utrecht .

Dick Bruna (1927) is one of the few living Dutch artists to have achieved worldwide fame among young and old. His oeuvre, distinguished by its simple and direct draughtsmanship, deserves a permanent home in Utrecht. The Bruna collection comprises more than 1,200 works, including his first book covers, children’s books and unpaid work for Amnesty International, the Red Cross and other organisations. The Centraal Museum holds the collection on long-term loan.

In the dick bruna huis (400 m2), the Centraal Museum has mounted a retrospective exhibition with an overview of Dick Bruna’s work. The exhibition looks at his early career, experimenting with different illustrative techniques whilst working in his father’s publishing house, through to later work creating picture books in Bruna’s own particular style. Original sketches show the development of miffy over the years. Besides pencil and ink drawings of miffy, Bruna’s other characters will also be shown - plus book jacket designs, poster commissions for organisations such as Amnesty International, postage stamps, photos and other memorabilia. Documentary films allow insight into his working process and demonstrate Bruna’s lifelong pursuit of the art of simplicity.

The dick bruna huis has been initiated by the Centraal Museum with contributions by amongst others the city of Utrecht, the provinces of Utrecht and the K.F. Heinfonds.