Joost Swarte

Joost Swarte is one of the most famous comic artists in Holland and abroad, even though he has not made that many albums. He studied at the Academy for Design in Eindhoven, at the same time illustrating local papers and starting his own magazine: Modern Papier (which later merged with Tante Leny Presenteert).

He published his comic 'Katoen en Pinbal' in Jippo in the early seventies, and other titles such as 'Jopo de Pojo', 'Anton Makassar', 'De Blauwe Berbers', 'Caesar Soda', 'Toon en Toos Brodeloos' en 'Ben Cine' appeared in various Dutch magazines. In the USA, he worked for New York underground magazine Raw.

Not limiting himself to the comic genre, Joost Swarte developed himself as a successful designer, architect and stained-glass artist, always recognizable for his Clear Line. His work has been exhibited all over Europe, and as co-owner of publishing company Oog & Blik he is responsible for the design of many Dutch prize-winning books. He was one of the founders of the Stripdagen in Haarlem, Holland's international comic convention, and has established himself as an advocate of comics in the art scene.

As a designer of furniture he is famous for his so-called 'carrot-table', a glass table held up by four big carrot-shaped legs. In architecture, he has made his mark by designing a theatre in Haarlem. He has applied himself to making stained glass artwork, which has been used in the design of several housing-blocks in Amsterdam, as well as a swimming pool in Breda.

In April 2004, Joost Swarte received a knighthood from Her Majesty Beatrix, Queen of The Netherlands.