About Jan Kruis

Johannes Andries (Jan) Kruis was born on June 8 1933, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He was the second son of Gerrit Kruis. Jan had a 6 year older brother Ger and a 4 year younger sister Anneke.

Jan already started drawing as early as Kindergarten and mostly drew animals, horses and elephants.

He went to elementary school the Ds. van Haselenschool in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and was in first grade when WWII started.

As a young boy he visited Wim Meuldijk, an artist who lived in Rotterdam as well, and got drawing lessons from him. Since there was a lack of paper during the war, Jan drew on any piece of paper he could lay his hands on.

In 1945 Jan went to the MULO in Rotterdam and got his diploma mainly due to his drawing skills and sold his first comic strip to a publisher in Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

In fall of 1946, Jan started drawing courses for amateurs at the Academy and learned all kinds of new drawing techniques. He got his main influence from Maarten Toonder and followed his example. He decided to attend the Academy and chose the advertisement direction. He got his diploma in summer of 1954, right before his 21st Birthday.

After serving in the military for an very short time, which he left due to negative results for a second physical, he got a job with the advertising agency Nijgh en van Ditmar. He quit this job in 1955 and went to Austria to do a mural for a family there. Upon his return to The Netherlands, he becomes a free-lancer.

Jan meets Els van Zanden and on December 10th, 1957, they got married in Rotterdam, where they got a small living space. Their first daughter Leontine was born on October 28th, 1959 and the family moved to a larger apartment in Rotterdam, where their second daughter Andrea was born on October 22nd, 1962.

Artwork © 2008 Jan Kruis

In 1976 they move to Drenthe, The Netherlands and in 1998 Jan decides it is time to retire.

Even though he is taking it easy, Jan Kruis is still very active with illustrating, writing and making portraits.

See also:
Jan Kruis' Work
Jan Kruis' Economical Impact