Lucebert (pseudonym of Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk) is born in Amsterdam in 1924. He develops into a prominent visual artist and poet.
Lucebert is often regarded as a representative of the post-war Cobra movement, but he was only indirectly involved in this group. He participates in the legendary Cobra exhibition in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 1949, but primarily as a poet. In the 1950s he does draw and paint, but almost exclusively on paper. Only in the late 1950s he begins to manifest himself as a painter, and develops his own style. During the first half of the sixties, he makes his most beautiful and impressive paintings, in which fairy-tale and mythical, sometimes frightening creatures appear. In his later work, he lets distorted characters and fantasy creatures, set up in powerful contour lines, portray scenes and tell their story.
Lucebert was known for his unwavering dedication and creative drive. His oeuvre has a large scope. During his entire painting career, he experiments with styles and forms, but his personal signature always remains recognizable.
In the course of his career, Lucebert exhibited worldwide (at the New York Guggenheim Museum, amongst others) and represented the Netherlands at the Venice Biennale. He received important prizes for his poetry, including the P.C. Hooftprijs and the Constantijn Huygensprijs. He was awarded the Jacob van Looy prize for double talents.
