Lucebert was born Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk in Amsterdam in 1924. Poet, painter, and printmaker, he was one of the most significant figures in postwar Dutch culture — a central voice in the CoBrA movement, which brought together artists from Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam in a shared rejection of rational, ordered art in favour of raw expressive energy, folk imagery, and the uninhibited mark. His work, whether in words or images, has the same quality — urgent, playful, and shot through with a dark, sardonic humour.
His prints produced with Fred Genis at the Oudkerk workshop in Friesland in the mid-1970s reflect this characteristic spirit. The dedication To Niki Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely — two of the great irreverent figures of European art — speaks to his world and his friendships. The Sad Printer (1974, edition of 25\) is a particularly touching work given the context, a wry and affectionate nod to the craft and the man producing his prints. Machiavelli (1974) and the Hölderlinseries demonstrate his literary range, while Picnic shows the lighter, more playful side of his visual imagination.
Lucebert died in Alkmaar in 1994. His work is held in major Dutch collections including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
