The Rijksmuseum is celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of Miffy with two Miffy statues on display in the museum. Standing 1.80 metres tall, the statues are part of the Miffy Art Parade (1 May – 21 September) and were conceived by designer Irma Boom and artist Rob Scholte.
Irma Boom: 'My idea was to turn the three-dimensional image of Miffy back into a flat one like Bruna's drawings. But every time I looked at her and saw those ears, it made me think of the peace symbol. In essence, I used the black contour of the Miffy drawing to create a new image, that of the peace symbol. Reinterpreting Miffy as a symbol of peace creates a powerful image and can feed into a better world. After all, children are the future. So that was the genesis of Miffy for Peace.'
“I certainly don't see the world in black and white. Light has no need for darkness.” Scholte
Miffy for Peace, as Irma Boom's Miffy statue is titled, is on display in the picnic area at the Rijksmuseum.
Rob Scholte's Miffy statue, titled Grey stands just outside the Teekenschool in the garden of the Rijksmuseum.
The statues will remain on view until 21 September. On 8 October the Rijksmuseum's Miffys will go up for auction, with the proceeds to support UNICEF education projects.
From 17 August until 15 November the Rijksmuseum will also be presenting Dick Bruna. Artist, featuring sixty prints and drawings narrating the story of the artist. The exhibition will include works on paper by Matisse, Picasso, Calder, Léger, Werkman and Van der Leck, alongside book covers, posters, collages and drawings by Bruna himself.
