In honour of Miffy’s 70th birthday, Leeds City Museum is hosting an exhibition of Dick Bruna’s work, complete with sketches, book covers, and familiar merch.
The first room discusses Miffy’s history and development, and the second has more interactive elements, including a craft table where you can make your own Miffy ears.
This wall shows the ‘evolution of Miffy’ from 1955 to 2003, as her design changes over the years. Do you have a favourite version?
Alongside posters, drawings, and collages, there are plaques describing Bruna’s work. It makes me so happy to see institutions taking ‘cute’ art more seriously.
There was a whole wall of Miffy at the seaside books, each in a different language. She really is loved all over the world! You can see Bruna’s prototype for it as well.
I loved seeing the combination of Leeds City Museum’s collection with the Miffy exhibition; this case shows a 1930s picnic set completed with Miffy-style food. I can’t wait to see how this gets reimagined when the exhibition tours.
My favourite artwork was this Miffy in a tent’ design from 1995. It’s a line drawing on film and coloured paper, at the right angle you can see each layer. It makes Bruna’s process feel so real.
There are plenty of selfie opportunities, like this human sized recreation of Miffy’s living room. I loved this duck pond too!
The gift shop seems to be restocked regularly but apparently the stock isn’t always the same. I also didn’t see anything exclusive to the exhibition.
You can find Miffy at Leeds City Museum until 7th September, along with a Miffy Trail and other events. The exhibition space is on the top floor, accessed by stairs or a lift. A gallery map is shown at the start, and you can ask for ear defenders if needed.
This exhibition will tour to the Time and Tide Museum in Norfolk next, and there are similar exhibitions in other countries. I really want to visit the Nijntje Museum in Utrecht! You can read more about that from The SCK Team visit from 2019.
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