The Dutch artist Lucebert was born in Amsterdam in 1924 as Lubertus Swaanswijk.
A painter and poet – Lucebert was a genius in both arts throughout his life. He first gained national recognition for his poetry; in 1954 he was awarded the City of Amsterdam Poetry Prize and in 1968 he received the National Literature Prize. From the late 1950s onwards, he concentrated on painting and drawing, yet continued to create, leaving behind an incredibly rich body of work.
Lucebert was an early member of the CoBrA group; he contributed to the famous exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam with several poems illustrated in his characteristic style. It was the hope for a new spirit, the quest for freedom, that united the generation of young artists shortly after the Second World War.
Lucebert’s imagery sometimes seems to overwhelm the viewer, but however terrifying and grotesque it may be, its core is deeply human, ironic, full of humour and imagination.
1924: Lucebert is born on 15 September in Amsterdam as Lubertus Swaanswijk.
1938: Starts studying at the Institute of Arts and Crafts in Amsterdam but breaks off after six months.
1942-43: Forced labour in Germany.
1948: First exhibition of drawings in an assembly room of AA; joins the Dutch Experimental Group.
1949: Publishes his first poems in the magazine REFLEX, which is published by the Dutch Experimental Group. Participates in the first CoBrA exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum with illustrated poems. Joins CoBrA.
1951: Lucebert’s first book of poetry is published.
1952: Moves to Bergen.
1954: Awarded a literary prize by the city of Amsterdam.
1958: Debut exhibition as a painter at a gallery in Haarlem.
1959: Participates in the Documenta II in Kassel and has a solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
As of 1962: Becomes attracted to oil painting.
1968: Lucebert is awarded the highest literary prize of The Netherlands, the P.C. Hooftprijs.
1983: Does wall murals for the Letterkundige Museum (“Literature Museum”) in Den Haag.
1985: Creates a mural for the school community of Oost Groningen.
1986/87: Exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Alkmaar.
1994: Lucebert dies in Amsterdam on 10 May.
