Toon Hermans, together with Wim Kan and Wim Sonneveld, belonged to 'the Big Three': the three best-known Dutch comedians after the Second World War. Hermans became nationally known for his first one-man show, which was broadcast on television in 1958. In addition to his theater work, he wrote poems and painted. His works of art are a less well-known aspect, partly because Hermans himself did not go out much with them. For his paintings and drawings he usually chose subjects from nature, such as Limburg landscapes, still lifes with fruits and flowers and occasionally a portrait, such as of his parents, his children and of himself.