Karel Appel
Netherlands • 1921 - 2006
Presentation
Karel Appel is a Dutch artist born in Amsterdam in 1921 (He died in 2006). From 1940 to 1943, he studied at the Beaux-Art academy in Amsterdam.
In 1948, with Corneille and Constant, Karel Appel creates the experimental group "Reflex", the Dutch division of the CoBra group, a movement gathering artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam and born in reaction to the fight between abstraction and figuration. The artists of this movement gather around their common interest in primitive, naive, and popular art, and the idea that everyone can practise art.
Influenced by the artwork of Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Henri Matisse, Karel Appel is notably known for his numerous wood panels in relief and his wall paintings about childhood. At the limit of abstraction, his artworks are characterized by the use of bright and pure colors in a naive and charged aesthetic.
In 2009, the Lelong Gallery holds an exhibition for him under the name "Peintures 2000-2001" and in 2012; his artworks are presented during the exhibition "Cobra- Sous le regard d'un passionné" at the LAAC in Dunkerque.
Read more
In 1948, with Corneille and Constant, Karel Appel creates the experimental group "Reflex", the Dutch division of the CoBra group, a movement gathering artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam and born in reaction to the fight between abstraction and figuration. The artists of this movement gather around their common interest in primitive, naive, and popular art, and the idea that everyone can practise art.
Influenced by the artwork of Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Henri Matisse, Karel Appel is notably known for his numerous wood panels in relief and his wall paintings about childhood. At the limit of abstraction, his artworks are characterized by the use of bright and pure colors in a naive and charged aesthetic.
In 2009, the Lelong Gallery holds an exhibition for him under the name "Peintures 2000-2001" and in 2012; his artworks are presented during the exhibition "Cobra- Sous le regard d'un passionné" at the LAAC in Dunkerque.
Discover our selections of works by artists
Need help finding your favorite? Consult our selection pages made for you.
Need to know more?
Who is the artist?
Karel Appel is a Dutch artist born in Amsterdam in 1921 (He died in 2006). From 1940 to 1943, he studied at the Beaux-Art academy in Amsterdam.In 1948, with Corneille and Constant, Karel Appel creates the experimental group "Reflex", the Dutch division of the CoBra group, a movement gathering artists from Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam and born in reaction to the fight between abstraction and figuration. The artists of this movement gather around their common interest in primitive, naive, and popular art, and the idea that everyone can practise art.Influenced by the artwork of Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Henri Matisse, Karel Appel is notably known for his numerous wood panels in relief and his wall paintings about childhood. At the limit of abstraction, his artworks are characterized by the use of bright and pure colors in a naive and charged aesthetic.In 2009, the Lelong Gallery holds an exhibition for him under the name "Peintures 2000-2001" and in 2012; his artworks are presented during the exhibition "Cobra- Sous le regard d'un passionné" at the LAAC in Dunkerque.
What are his 3 main works?
What is Karel Appel’s artistic movement?
The artistic movements of the artists are: Experimental Painters
When was Karel Appel born?
The year of birth of the artist is: 1921