Anton Heyboer (1924-2005) De avonturen van Empie en Sharpie

Ca. 1944. 14 original water colours for a war-time picture book that was never published. Each water colour ca. 25 x 38 cm. Consisting of two alternative covers with different titles. Alternative title "De avonturen van Puppie en Lord". All signed by the artist.

*Beautiful discovery of hitherto unknown early work by Anton Heyboer. Found while tidying up the attic of publisher Bigot & van Rossum. The work was recognised by one of the widows, but had been considered lost. The quality of the prints is exceptional. In 1943, Heyboer was arrested by the Germans as part of the Arbeitseinsatz and was transferred to a Durchgangslager for convicts in Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg). He fell ill and returned in Haarlem in 1944 and barely survived. He must have created this shortly after his return. The influence of contemporaries such as Marten Toonder and Joop Geesink is clearly visible. For a comparable image, see also Duppen/Sizoo: Anton Heijboer, p. 10. Without text, and it is unknown whether this ever existed in the first place. With a complete set of proofs of the plates, which shows that there were serious plans for publication. The subject, however, was related to the war, a topic that was probably already outdated, and the book was never published. The originals were put away and re-surfaced 67 years later. (total 14)