Lucebert was born with the name Lubertus Swaanswijk. His father was a house painter. Lucebert's talent was discovered when he worked with is father. He went to the Instituut voor Kunstnijverheidsonderwijs in 1938. He only studied there for half a year, afterwords he wandered the streets. In 1947, he got the offer to make a wall painting in a convent in Heemskerk. When the painting was done, the habitants couldn't apreciate it and decided to overpaint it with white. Lucebert was member of the literar group 'de Vijftigers'. He published in the literar magasine Braak. He got the nickname 'Emperor of De Vijftigers'. His art, mainly CoBrA-oriënted was always dark and pessimistic. Lucebert died in 1994 in a hospital in Alkmaar.