Anthon Beeke, van slagersjongen tot grafisch ontwerper

Anthon Beeke (1940) is a ground-breaking graphic designer, known from the controversial posters of Toneelgroep Amsterdam and Globe. In the 1950s, Beeke attended evening school at the Kunstnijverheidsschool, now called the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. He worked for Total Design and had his own studio until 2010. He closed it after he suffered a cerebral infarction in 2009.
The documentary introduces his daughter Borinka, but also former teacher Wim Crouwel, who realised he couldn’t teach Beeke anything. Later, they worked together at Total Design. Gerardjan Rijnders talks about the notorious Troilus and Cressida poster.
The connecting thread is Beeke himself, rummaging around his archive in a storage place, selecting works and objects for an exposition and accompanying book. This is illustrated with archive footage of their realisation. Director Guus van Waveren, who attended the Kunstnijverheidsschool together with Anthon, helps him when his memory fails him.