Grew up in a catholic family. Jef wanted to become a technical drawer. But was redirected to the Antwerp school of Fine Arts. (koninklijke academievoor Schone Kunsten). Later on he became part of the Alumni board. It soon became clear that he was very talented. His dream was to work for Walt Disney. After a solicitation he got rejected but also encouraged to keep drawing. He is best known for his comic book series “Jommeke”, which he began in 1959. After40 years and 45 million books sold, he got his recognition in the form of a post stamp and statue. In 2004 he received the comic book fox, (De Stripvos) a great honor in the flemisch comic book community. On the 20th of October 2009, Jef died. But he lives on in his comics.

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