Provo van de politieke pornografie: leven en werk van Bernhard Willem Holtrop.

Abstract

Cartoonist Bernhard Holtrop was absent on January 7, 2015 during the terrorist attack on the editorial office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. His aversion to meetings saved his life. However, he now found himself the subject of global attention.

Of the various Dutch post-second world war editorial cartoonists, Bernhard Holtrop is the most interesting for historians to study. Starting off in the Netherlands, before advancing his career in France, he managed to gain worldwide renown in his field. However, his rise to fame was in no way straightforward. Throughout his career Holtrop tested the boundaries of freedom of speech. In 1966, at a young age, this led to his arrest by the Dutch police on suspicion of lese-majesty and insulting public authority. During his time in France, his political cartoons and comics led to further legal troubles, even culminating in censorship. These and other conflicts can all be traced back to Holtrop's cartoon trademark: political pornography.

Provo of Political Pornography: The Life and Work of Bernhard Willem Holtrop offers an analysis of editorial cartoonist Bernhard Holtrop's career and work by inquiring into three research questions.