KAREL APPEL Dutch, 1921-2006 “Cosy Face" (part of the Personages 1970 series), 1970 Limited edition lithograph numbered 56 of an edition of 100. Pencil numbered, signed and dated at the base.
Image H 25.9 × W 20 in; frame: 36 x 28 inches
Karel Appel (1921–2006) was a preeminent Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet whose raw, expressive style established him as a leading figure of the post-World War II avant-garde. Born in Amsterdam and educated at the Rijksakademie during the German occupation, he emerged from the conflict with a desire to abandon sophisticated academic traditions in favor of a more spontaneous, "primitive" approach to creation. In 1948, he co-founded the influential CoBrA movement, which drew inspiration from folk art, children's drawings, and the work of the mentally ill to produce vibrant, gestural compositions that blurred the line between abstraction and figuration. Though his work initially sparked scandal in the Netherlands—most notably his 1949 fresco Questioning Children, which was covered for a decade due to public outcry—he gained significant international acclaim after moving to Paris and traveling to the United States. Over his long career, Appel’s "wild" technique characterized by thick impasto and bold, uninhibited color influenced generations of Neo-Expressionists, and his extensive body of work is now held in major global institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
