# Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/hendrik-magdalenus-bruna/
Profile generated: 2026-08-19T15:35:55.968Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1927-08-23
- Death date: 2017-02-16
- Nationality: Dutch
- Common media: Graphic design, Illustration and drawing, Children's books, Works on paper and prints

## Portrait

![Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Dick_Bruna.jpg)
Dolph Kohnstamm · CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dick_Bruna.jpg

## About Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna

Hendrik Magdalenus “Dick” Bruna (1927–2017) was a Dutch author, artist, illustrator, and graphic designer. He is best known for Miffy, called nijntje in Dutch, a character that connects his work with children’s publishing and graphic culture. Library authority records consistently identify him as Dick Bruna and confirm his life years, while Art UK lists a group of Miffy-themed works associated with Great Ormond Street Hospital. Collectors may therefore encounter Bruna’s name across children’s books, illustrations, graphic works, prints, and character-related editions. The collected sources do not establish a specific fine-art movement, so his page is better grounded in graphic design, illustration, and children’s-book contexts than in a speculative school or style label. Auction records may be indexed under either Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna or Dick Bruna, making alias matching important when reviewing works and sale histories.

## Common works and media

Commonly encountered material is likely to include children’s books, illustrations, graphic works, and Miffy or nijntje imagery. Art UK documents several Miffy-themed works, while Appraisily’s matched auction records include works on paper, prints, decorative art, and editions. For appraisal purposes, record the exact medium, dimensions, date, signature or inscription, edition statement, provenance, and condition before selecting comparable lots.

## Market and appraisal context

An appraisal should begin by identifying exactly what type of Bruna-related object is being examined: an original graphic work, a print or edition, a book, or another decorative object. Relevant comparisons should match the medium, dimensions, subject, date, condition, signature or inscription, and any stated edition information. Provenance, exhibition history, catalogue references, and confidence in the attribution can also affect whether a recorded sale is genuinely comparable. Appraisily’s public index provides matched auction records and realized-price context, but its broad category labels and incomplete coverage should be checked at lot level. Private sales and later attribution changes may not appear in the public record.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine researched identity and authority records with matched auction data. When available, the market evidence includes auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots; incomplete feeds, private sales, and attribution changes may limit coverage.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q628346
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/61542837/
- IdRef: https://www.idref.fr/026756358
- Art UK: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/bruna-dick-19272017
- Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna: https://www.nijntje.nl/
- Hendrik Magdalenus Bruna: https://www.miffy.com
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Bruna
- Wikipedia: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Bruna
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/hendrik-magdalenus-bruna/