Lucebert
Encyclopedia
Lucebert (15 September 1924 - 10 May 1994) was a Dutch
artist who first became known as the poet
of the COBRA
movement.
He was born in Amsterdam
in 1924. He entered the Institute for Arts and Crafts in 1938 and took part in the first exhibition of the COBRA group at the Stedelijk Museum
, Amsterdam
in 1949.
He died on 10 May 1994 in Alkmaar
, Netherlands.
The English pronunciation of the Lucebert is ˈluːtʃɨbɛərt, with the stress on the first syllable as in Italian.
school, he chose to be homeless between 1938 and 1947. In 1947, a Franciscan
convent offered him a roof over his head, in exchange for a huge mural
painting. Because the nuns could not appreciate his work, they had it painted over with white paint entirely.
He belonged to the Dutch literary movement of De Vijftigers. They were highly influenced by the European avant-garde movement COBRA
. So was Lucebert, especially in his early work. His art reflects a rather pessimistic view on the world.
His strong personality appealed to many. As a poet he laid foundation for a revolutionary innovation of Dutch poetry.
Most of his poems were collected in Gedichten 1948-1965. After this period of writing poetry, he worked mostly on visual arts
, that was called figurative
-expressionist from the Sixties.
Well known is his line "Alles van waarde is weerloos" (All things of value are defenceless) from the poem De zeer oude zingt (The very old sings). This line was put on top of the office building of an insurance company in Rotterdam
(near the Blaak station) in neon
letters, including his name, in the 1980s or earlier. It wasn't the first but certainly the most prominent and today three more buildings in the area feature such writing on the wall. The city's central library is just across the street and reads "Heel de wereld is mijn vaderland - Erasmus", all the world is my fatherland - Erasmus
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
artist who first became known as the poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of the COBRA
COBRA (avant-garde movement)
COBRA was a European avant-garde movement active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home cities: Copenhagen , Brussels , Amsterdam .-History:...
movement.
He was born in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1924. He entered the Institute for Arts and Crafts in 1938 and took part in the first exhibition of the COBRA group at the Stedelijk Museum
Stedelijk Museum
Founded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 1949.
He died on 10 May 1994 in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
, Netherlands.
The English pronunciation of the Lucebert is ˈluːtʃɨbɛərt, with the stress on the first syllable as in Italian.
Biography
Lucebert's talent was discovered when he started working for his father after school. After half a year of artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
school, he chose to be homeless between 1938 and 1947. In 1947, a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
convent offered him a roof over his head, in exchange for a huge mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
painting. Because the nuns could not appreciate his work, they had it painted over with white paint entirely.
He belonged to the Dutch literary movement of De Vijftigers. They were highly influenced by the European avant-garde movement COBRA
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
. So was Lucebert, especially in his early work. His art reflects a rather pessimistic view on the world.
His strong personality appealed to many. As a poet he laid foundation for a revolutionary innovation of Dutch poetry.
Most of his poems were collected in Gedichten 1948-1965. After this period of writing poetry, he worked mostly on visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, that was called figurative
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
-expressionist from the Sixties.
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(near the Blaak station) in neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
letters, including his name, in the 1980s or earlier. It wasn't the first but certainly the most prominent and today three more buildings in the area feature such writing on the wall. The city's central library is just across the street and reads "Heel de wereld is mijn vaderland - Erasmus", all the world is my fatherland - Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
.
Exhibitions
- 1949 - International Exhibition of Experimental Art, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1959 - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1961 - Stedelijk van Abbe-Museum, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- 1963 - Staedtlische Kunstgalerie, Bochum, Germany
- 1963 - Marlborough New London Gallery, London
- 1964 - Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
; Kunsthalle Baden-Baden - 1964 - Documenta 111, Kassel, Germany
- 1969 - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
- 1969 - Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland - with Karel Appel and Tajiri
- 1977 - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1982 - Kunsthalle, Mannheim, Germany
- 1983 - Kunstverein Hochrhein, Bad Säckingen, Germany
- 1984 - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1985 - Rai, Kunstmesse Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1987 - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 1988 - Kunstmuseum WinterthurKunstmuseum WinterthurKunstmuseum Winterthur is an art museum in Winterthur, Switzerland run up today by the local Kunstverein, founded in CHK...
, Kunstverein Freiburg i.Br., Germany - 1988 - Landesmuseum Oldenburg, Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Austria
- 1989 - Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Germany
- 1989 - Städtische Kunstgalerie, Bochum, Germany
- 1989 - Kunsthaus Grenchen, Grenchen, Switzerland
Awards
- 1954 - prize for literature from the city of Amsterdam
- 1959 - "Mediterranean Prize" of the Paris Biennale
- 1962 - 2nd "Marzotto Prize"
- 1964 - "Carlo Cardazzo" prize at the 32nd Biennale in Venice, Italy
- 1965 - "Constantijn HuygensprijsConstantijn Huygens PrizeThe Constantijn Huygens Prize is a Dutch literary award.-History:Since 1947, it has been awarded each year for an author's complete works by the Jan Campert Foundation , a foundation named in honor of the Dutch writer Jan Campert who died while helping Jews during WWII...
" - 1968 - "P.C. HooftprijsP. C. Hooft AwardThe P.C. Hooft Award is a Dutch language literary oeuvre award, given annually. The award is alternately given for prose , essays and poetry....
" - the highest Dutch Governmental prize for literature - 1983 - "Prijs der Nederlandse LetterenPrijs der Nederlandse LetterenThe Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren is awarded every three years to an author from the Netherlands, Belgium or, since 2005, Suriname writing in Dutch...
" for Dutch literature