Theo van den Boogaard
Theo van den Boogaard (born 25 March 1948, Castricum, Netherlands) – also known as Theo Bogart – is a Dutch cartoonist. He first came to attention as an underground cartoonist in the early 1970s for the sexually explicit comics series "Ans en Hans krijgen de kans (Ans and Hans Get the Chance"). He is best known for co-creating "Sjef van Oekel", a long-running comic strip based on the TV character, written by Wim T. Schippers. He received the 1989 Stripschapprijs for his body of work. Biography. Early life. Theo van den Boogaard was born in 1948  in Castricum, in the Netherlands province of North Holland. As a child, he was interested in drawing and singing. At the age of 15, he published his first comic "Mark, Boter bij de Vis" ("Mark, Butter with the Fish") At the age of 17, he began drawing for "Hitweek" magazine and moved to Amsterdam after graduation to begin his career. Amsterdam would later have great influence on his work, with the city being known for its "free-spirited" feel and openness to sexuality and culture. Career. In 1967 he made the underground comix series "Witje and Gertje" for "Hitweek", which  was continued from 1968 to 1969 in "Aloha". This work has been recognized as the first Dutch underground comic, but it faced criticism due to featuring a naked woman. For "Studio", he drew the "Pinocchio" strip (1968). In 1969 he started in "Aloha" (and soon after in "Chick") the series "Ans en Hans krijgen de kans (Ans and Hans Get the Chance"), which was noteworthy for its liberal treatment of sexuality, and gave him recognition by Andreas Knigger, a comics critic who described Boogaard as "the greatest European underground comics artist". The comic was published in 1972 as an album  by De Bezige Bij. For "Voetbal International" he drew the comic "Abe, een hotshot van een voetballerina" ("Abe, a Hotshot of a Footballer)" (1972), written by journalist Nico Scheepmaker. Beginning in 1976, van den Boogaard drew "Sjef van Oekel," a comic about the experiences of the well-known and controversial television character. The series was popular, and Dolf Brouwers, who played the character on TV, came to object to the fact that he received no compensation for his likeness being used, and for the sexual content of the series, and in 1989 he sued. In 1991 a judge ruled the  character should not be portrayed in "obscene or pornographic scenes". Schippers and Bouwers eventually settled on the financial compensation. Van den Boogaard made the album "Joost mag het weten (Joost May Know"), a collection with short humorous erotically-tinted stories about homosexuality, bestiality, and pedophilia. Between 1980 and 1984, Boogaard was published in the American comics series "Gay Comix". He drew an untitled comic in issue #1, "My Most Embarrassing Childhood Experience" in issue #3, and the back cover of issue #5. In 2003, he published "Theo van den Boogaard signs death". In 2005 he created "Iron Lines", followed by  The art of following, about receiving guidance. In 2013, he began to focus on his childhood dream of singing and drawing, and created a Bob Dylan piece that he plays on a screen while he performs Bob Dylan hits on stage. In 2016, he published "Four Winters In a Row", a set of illustrations paired with a song of his, about a man struggling to find happiness. Personal life. Van den Boogaard is openly gay, and has incorporated related themes into his work. As of 2016, he has undergone chemotherapy treatment, but the type of cancer has not been disclosed . He has spoken of his struggles to keep drawing while undergoing chemotherapy, and discussed his fight for happiness in his "Four Winters In a Row". Honors and Awards. In 1989 Boogaard received the Nederlandse Stripschapprijs for his works. Further reading. Gay Comix, LGBT themes in comics, Underground comix, Sjef Van Oekel