Friso Henstra was born in Amsterdam on February 9, 1928.
As the son of a painter, he began drawing at the age of four.
He attended the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten (Academy of Fine Arts) for two years, where he took drawing lessons, until he was called up for military service in 1948 and spent two years as a soldier in Indonesia.
Upon his return, he took evening classes in sculpture for three years.
He worked as an illustrator starting in 1952. His first drawings were published in the satirical magazine Mandril, Het Parool, and the youth magazine Olidin.
He became well known in Dutch schools for his illustrations in the history book Honderd Eeuwen by C. Wilkeshuis.
Several picture books of his have been published both in the Netherlands and abroad, and he also created many illustrations and book covers for various publishers, including Querido, Elsevier, Ploegsma, Leopol, De Arbeiderspers, Het Spectrum, and Wolters-Noordhoff.
In addition, he taught illustrative drawing and life drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Arnhem from 1969 to 1986.
Friso passed away in Amsterdam on September 28, 2013.
