On the occasion of his 80th birthday, a retrospective exhibition of the Belgian cartoonist PUNT (Jan Van Der Aa) was organized in 2007 at the ECC. However, the week before the official opening, Van Der Aa passed away at the age of 80. His family donated Van der Aa's entire cartoon archive to the European Cartoon Center.
Cartoon Collection Jan van der Aa - PUNT
Belgian Cartoonist
Jan Van Der Aa
Full cartoon archive donated by his family
Cartoonist PUNT was born on January 14, 1927, in Hemiksem as Jan Van Der Aa. As a child, he already dreamed of pursuing an artistic career. At the age of six, he made his first oil painting on the wood of a cigar box. The war and the fact that his parents did not want him to attend the academy led to a more grounded career. After finishing school, he worked in a bakery and a printing house, eventually becoming a clerk for a notary. However, in his free time, he continued to draw and paint.
His first cartoons were published under the name Punt in 1958. Under that name, he also participated in the VTB-kartoenale and cartoon competitions at home and abroad.
In the 1970s, he published the stop comic ‘De Perfesser’ in the magazine of the Christian Health Insurance Funds Straal.
Regarding his pseudonym (Punt – mains point), he said the following: "Punt" is nothing more than verbalizing the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. I use it when I consider my work finished.’
He published, among others, for Flemish television, the VTB, Kerk en Leven, Straal, and Raak.
Jan was not only a cartoonist but also a painter, draftsman, he made assemblages, and wrote poems.
Practical information
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Opening hours
Every Sunday from 10-12 and 14-17 you can visit the ECC as an individual with free entrance
Winterbreak: the European Cartoon Center is closed between the 22nd of December till the 22nd of January.
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Fee
As we want to promote cartoons as an art form to the general public and find it important that everyone has the possibility to see cartoons, you can visit the ECC on Sunday by the 'Pay what you wish'-principal. You decide what your visit to the exhibition is worth and according your own budget. This way of working is only possible because the European Cartoon Center is a non-profit organization that operates 100% on volunteers.
Keep in mind that your voluntary contribution makes it possible to make cartoon art accessible to all.
For groups there are different paid formulas:
- Formula A: 5 euro per person (with a minimum of 50 euro) admission and introduction
- Formula B: 8 euro per person (with a minimum of 80 euro) admission, introduction and a free drink of your choice