Paul Bodoni Derksen was born in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, a village along the river south of Amsterdam. He attended the Rietveld Academy of Art and Design from 1970 until 1974, and his life-work has been drawing the 'Epic of Gilgamesh' since he was sixteen. He also worked a couple years with the children's street theatre, making 'street comics' that humorously portrayed neighborhood problems.
Bodoni published illustrations and strips in magazines such as Aloha, Oor, Hitkrant, Jippo, Okki, Taptoe, Hello you!, Ezelsoor, De Vrije Balloen/De Balloen, de Kraakkrant, Gezellig en Leuk, Leesblad de Mensch, and newspaper Het Parool. His children's comics for Jippo were collected in books like 'Het verhaal van het verhaal en andere verhalen' (1984) and 'Het scheepsverhaal van de Eureka' (1985) by Espee (Ger van Wulften).
Het scheepsjournaal van de Eureka
His more adult work was collected for the first time in 'Twee alfredo's op een groene prairiewolf' in 1986. Bodoni also made bookcovers, graphic design, logo-types, affiches and much more. "De verschrikkelijke Bodoni" has been making art all of his life, which is shown from time to time.
Artwork for Gezellig & Leuk (1986)
Paul was an editor and artist for the alternative comic magazine De Vrije Balloen/De Balloen between 1977 and 1983. He was the chairman of De Tekenfabriek ('The Drawing Factory') and member of the Gezellig en Leuk collective from 1984 to 1988. He was an editor along with René Windig, Aart Clerkx and Eddie de Jong for 'Gezellig en Leuk' publications.
Bodoni moved to Sweden in 1988 and lives in a shared home there while working with troubled youth, and continues to draw on the edge and the end of the world. He exhibited some of his old and new work at Galerie Lambiek in February and March 2009.
