Fiep Westendorp at Rijksmuseum: 150 original drawings on display

Jip and Janneke, Pim and Pom, Otje, Pluk van de Petteflet: chances are you grew up with at least one of these characters as a child. Behind all those cheerful lines was Fiep Westendorp, illustrator from the very beginning. Starting this summer at the Rijksmuseum, you can see how she did it. Not through a glossy overview, but simply: the original drawings, including erasures, corrections and notes in her own handwriting.

Westendorp worked closely with author Annie M.G. Schmidt. Together they created the most famous children's books in the Netherlands for many years. The exhibition shows particularly well how Jip and Janneke were created: from the very first rough sketches to the final versions we all know. That trajectory from idea to final result is exactly what makes the exhibition so interesting. You see not only what she made, but also how she thought and doubted and adjusted.

All the original drawings have been preserved, and about 150 of them are now on display at the Rijksmuseum in Museum Square. That in itself is special: the original work of many illustrators has become scattered or disappeared. That Westendorp's oeuvre has been preserved so completely is due to the Fiep Westendorp Foundation, which manages and maintains the archive. It collaborated with the Rijksmuseum to make this exhibition possible. Financially, the project was supported by the Brook Foundation through the Rijksmuseum Fund.

You see not only what she made, but also how she thought and doubted and adjusted.

The exhibition is free for visitors under 18, and you can also just get in with a Museum Card or Friends Card. Adults pay the regular entrance fee. The Rijksmuseum is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator on each floor. Westendorp was born in 1916 and died in 2004. She was active as an illustrator for more than 50 years. That entire career is coming together in one room this year. Fiep Westendorp's original drawings are on display how they were done: including all the work that is not normally included.