Marije Tolman - In the picture

‘Everything in my picture books is me,’ Marije Tolman explains (1976). She is the illustrator of many children's books, including Egalus, the Picture Book of the Dutch Children's Book Week 2022, Little Fox by Edward van de Vendel, and Goudvis by Daan Remmerts de Vries. She also published The Treehouse trilogy with her father Ronald Tolman. For adults she made Het (menselijk) dierenkwartet and Een zee van tijd and Flappie together with Youp van 't Hek.

Her work appears in many countries, from America to South Africa, and with prizes such as a Golden and Silver Brush and a Bologna Ragazzi Award, she is one of the top Dutch illustrators.
 

The exhibition Marije Tolman – In the Picture not only expresses Tolman's craftsmanship as an illustrator, but also the underlying message that makes her work so special. Of course Tolman wants to make beautiful books, but she also wants to give her viewers something. She wants to show how beautiful nature is and how important art and imagination are. Also, she wants to make it clear that happiness often lies in small things and encourages everyone to be a little stubborn. But these messages are never too obvious; she wants to challenge the viewer and make them think, open and inviting.

Illustration by Marije Tolman from Egalus