.jpg)
The prize means a lot to him, he said when it was announced this summer that it had been awarded to him. ‘This is a huge confirmation that I can be there.’ Hopman illustrated many children's and youth books by Dutch and foreign authors, including Hans Hagen, Ted van Lieshout, Astrid Lindgren and Annie M.G. Schmidt.
The jury describes Hopman as a professional who can handle many styles and perspectives and always has his own signature. ‘He illustrates with speed and witty details, which often form a story in themselves. He is an illustrator with a drawing hand, as some people have a gift for languages.’ In recent years, Hopman has been very successful with the picture book series Boer Boris, for which he collaborates with Dutch writer Ted van Lieshout.
From the spring of 2023, the Museum of Literature /Children's Book Museum will be showing an exhibition with a selection of original illustrations from Hopman's archive that he has housed at the museum. He previously participated in the permanent exhibition Annie M.G. Schmidt’s Bold and Brassy Kids and made paintings for the Children's Book Embassy that is located in the museum.
About the Max Velthuijs-Prize
The Max-Velthuijs-Prize is a triennial oeuvre prize for Dutch illustrators for Children's Books. There is an amount of €60,000 and the laureate will also receive a certificate and a figurine of Frog, Velthuijs' most famous story figure.
The previous laureates are Mance Post (2007), Thé Tjong-Khing (2010), Wim Hofman (2013), Dick Bruna (2016) and Sylvia Weve (2019). The secretariat for this prize is run by the Museum of Literature, which also organizes the presentation.
.jpg)