Jo Spier

Who was Jo Spier?

Jo Spier was a popular Dutch artist and illustrator. He was born Joseph Eduard Adolf Spier in Zutphen, The Netherlands. Jo Spier was married to Albertine Sophie van Raalte and they had three children, Peter Spier, Thomas Spier, DDS and Celine Spier.

From 1924 to 1939, Jo Spier worked for the newspaper De Telegraaf where he created humorous illustrations and cartoons about everyday life. During World War II his subject matter became more political and he was arrested for his satirical depiction of Hitler. He was first sent to the camp at Westerbork, then to Villa Bouchina with his wife and three children with 5 other Jewish people ex NSB members, were protected by the leader of the pro-German Nationaal Socialistische Beweging, Anton Mussert, a friend of the Spier family, from being transported to extermination camp Auscwitz in Poland for a while. The children of Spier were tutored by Jewish Teachers. In a long postwar interview with Michiel van der Plas, a good friend of Godfried Bomans, Peter Spier does not say a word about what happened in Villa Bouchina. On 21 April 1943 he was transferred to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where he was held with his family until the end of the war.