Kees de Kort


Kees de Kort is a Dutch artist best known for his illustrations of Bible scenes for children's books.

Life

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.
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.
The Bible books were published in 65 countries and translated into many languages.
In 1992, De Kort compiled these books into a larger work, the Kijkbijbel, which has been published in translation under several titles.
De Kort also drew illustrations of Bible stories for adults. He also has created stained glass windows and triptychs with religious subjects.
De Kort lives in Bergen, North Holland, is married, and has two sons who are also artists.

Works

What the Bible Tells Us

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: