 He was born in Zürich, Switzerland on 18 December 1899, to Elisabetta Costa, a native from Cencenighe Agordino, and supposedly to Bonfiglio Laccabue (the true identity of the father is still unknown), native from Reggio Emilia.In 1942 the painter changed his surname from Laccabue to Ligabue, presumably because of the hate towards his father, whom he considered the uxoricide to Elisabetta Costa.In September 1900 he was entrusted to the Swiss Johannes Valentin Göbel and Elise Hanselmann.