Retrospective Karel Appel

Vragende Kinderen, copyright Karel Appel Foundation

Dutch painter Karel Appel(1921) was one of the founders of the international Cobra group in 1948. The group's name derives from Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam. 

The members, such as Karel Appel, Asger Jorn(1914-1973), Constant and Pierre Alechinsky engaged in the spontaneous creation of boldly coloured, expressive, experimental work. The avant-garde group was primarily inspired by Marxist ideoloy, primitive art, children's drawings and the work of Joan Miro and Paul Klee. The artists collaborated in exhibitions, the Cobra magazine and peinture-mot.

After his academic studies, Appel depicted friendly looking animals and childlike creatures. His first major assignment, Vragende Kinderen(1949) caused such an uproar that they covered the painting for ten years. Appel became internationally known whilst living in Paris, where his creations began to be more turbulent and textured.

During the sixties he made colossal sculptures of fantasy creatures out of painted wood, polyester and aluminium. Furthermore his oeuvre includes assemblages, collages, graphic work, glass decorations, theatre and opera decor designs. 
All of these can be admired at his retrospective in Den Haag.

Retrospective Karel Appel
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
16-1 - 16-5-2016
www.gemeentemuseum.nl