Karel Appel

Dutch, 1921 - 2006

Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet born in Amsterdam. During the German occupation, he started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. In 1948, he was one of the founders of the avant-garde movement Cobra. A year later, in 1949, he and the other CoBrA artists took part in a group exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Initially in the Netherlands and later also in the rest of the world, Karel Appel became the figurehead of the Cobra movement.

He was inspired by primitive art, children's drawings and outsider art, which can be traced in his compositions and the way of painting. Appel painted and made collages and sculptures with simple shapes and bright colours. In 1953, after the São Paolo Biennale, Appel had his international breakthrough. Since then he has exhibited all over the world, including MoMA. By 1990, the celebrated artist had studios in New York, Connecticut, Monaco and Tuscany.

Discover more about the artist (Karel Appel Foundation)

The Kiss, 1966

The Kiss, 1966

oil on canvas
92 x 73 cm

Provenance:
Circle Arts International, Toronto

Artworks

De Boogschutter, 1986

De Boogschutter, 1986

signed lower right
oil and canvas
46 x 61 cm
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Karel Appel, L'heure, 1983

Karel Appel, L'heure, 1983

signed lower right
acrylic on paper on canvas (maroufflé)
66 x 50.5 cm
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Small Figure no. 25, 1988

Small Figure no. 25, 1988

oil on canvas
50 x 40.5 cm

Provenance:
Galerie Delorme, Paris

The work is registered in the Archive of the Karel Appel Foundation.
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Karel Appel, untitled

Karel Appel, untitled

signed
oil on canvas
27 x 46 cm
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Face et profile, 1968

Face et profile, 1968

signed lower center
50 x 65 cm
Acrylic on paper mounted on canvas

Provenance:
Galerie Ariel, Paris
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The Kiss, 1966

The Kiss, 1966

oil on canvas
92 x 73 cm

Provenance:
Circle Arts International, Toronto
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Karel Appel, Larvotto Beach, 1980

Karel Appel, Larvotto Beach, 1980

signed on the lower center and signed and dated on the reverse
oil on canvas
168 x 194 cm
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Karel Appel, Personnages , 1972

Karel Appel, Personnages , 1972

signed lower left
acrylic on paper mounted on canvas
49 x 77 cm
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