Miki Muster

Miki Muster, born Nikolaj Muster, was a Slovenian academic sculptor, illustrator, cartoonist, and animator. He is viewed as a pioneer in the field of comics and animation in Slovenia. His notable work includes the series of comics featuring the characters Zvitorepec, Trdonja, and Lakotnik. Muster first got interested in animation when he saw Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Ljubljana, with a degree in sculpture. After completing only a couple of statues, he focused on drawing. Muster started drawing his comic strip Zvitorepec in 1952, which was running in magazines Poletove podobe in povesti (PPP) and Tedenska tribuna. From 1955 to 1973, he was drawing for Slovenski poročevalec, later renamed Delo; after that, he worked as a freelancer. His work in comics was frowned upon by the Communist Yugoslav government. In 1973, Muster moved to Munich to pursue a career in animation at Bavaria Film. After Slovenia declared independence, Muster returned home and was for some time drawing caricatures for political magazines Mag and Reporter. For his work, Muster received a series of awards. In 2014, he was awarded the silver order of merit for his pioneering work in the field of comics and animation by the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor. In 2015 he received the Prešeren Award for lifetime achievements, the highest Slovenian award for arts. Muster died on 7 May 2018 in a nursing home in Notranje Gorice, aged 92.