| Kees de Kort | |
| Birth Date: | 2 December 1934 |
| Birth Place: | Nijkerk, Gelderland, Netherlands |
| Death Place: | Bergen, North Holland, Netherlands |
Kees de Kort (2 December 1934 - 19 August 2022[1]) was a Dutch artist best known for his illustrations of Bible scenes for children's books.
De Kort studied at the Art Academy of Amersfoort, at the Art School of Utrecht and at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam.[2] At age 27, de Kort worked as a technical drafter but grew bored of his work after three years.
De Kort first created Bible illustrations for the public television station "schulfunk". In 1965 the Dutch Bible Society commissioned him to illustrate a number of biblical stories for people with learning disabilities. This led in 1967 to the series called What the Bible says - a series of small picture books, each containing one Bible story. The text was written in simple words, always limited to a few short sentences per page. De Kort developed a distinctive pictorial style for his illustrations, with vivid characters and bright colors. It is said that his pictures appeal to both children and adults, without slipping into kitsch.[3]
The Bible books were published in 65 countries and translated into many languages.[2]
In 1992, De Kort compiled these books into a larger work, the Kijkbijbel ("Look-Bible"), which has been published in translation under several titles.
De Kort also drew illustrations of Bible stories for adults (the subjects include the Book of Amos, the Book of Job and the Song of Songs). He also created stained glass windows and triptychs with religious subjects. Later in life, he focused on painting pigs as they reminded him of childhood.[4]
De Kort lived in Bergen, North Holland, was married, and has two sons who are also artists.
The following titles comprise the "What the Bible Tells Us" series, published by The Bible Societies in the U.K. and by the Augsburg Publishing House in the U.S.:
Old Testament stories:
New Testament stories: