Karel Appel

(Dutch, 1921–2006)

Karel Appel was an influential Dutch painter whose figurative abstractions employed expressive colors and forms. Like Jean Dubuffet, Appel found inspiration in the artwork of children and the rejection of sophisticated aesthetic tastes. “Painting, like passion, is an emotion full of truth and rings a living sound, like the roar coming from the lion's breast,” he reflected. “To paint is to destroy what preceded. I never try to make a painting, but a chunk of life.” Born on April 25, 1921 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, he went on to study at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten and had his first solo exhibition in 1946. Inspired by the work of Paul Klee and Joan Miró, Appel began experimenting with a rudimentary approach of describing subject matter reminiscent of folk art. In 1948, he helped form the CoBrA group (an acronym for the cities the artists were from: Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam), along with Asger Jorn, Constant, Corneille and others who were united in their rejection of rationalism and geometric abstraction. Following the dissolution of CoBrA in 1952, Appel joined Art Informel, another collection of abstract artists which included Michel Tapié and Henri Michaux. Through the following decades the artist continued his engagement with painterly expression and was the subject of several solo exhibitions. He died on May 3, 2006 in Zürich, Switzerland. Appel’s works are presently held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Related Categories

Contemporary Art, Drawings and Works on Paper, Prints and Multiples, Sculpture

Related Artists

Pierre Alechinsky, Jean Dubuffet, Asger Jorn, Walasse Ting

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

Two birds and a Flower, 1951
Sold price: 1,098,772 USD

Karel Appel Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Karel Appel (11,953 results)
Personnages

Karel Appel

Personnages

Sale Date: December 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Personnage

Karel Appel

Personnage

Sale Date: December 10, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1970

Karel Appel

Untitled, 1970

Sale Date: December 5, 2014

Auction Closed

Paysage humains, Netherlands, 1961

Karel Appel

Paysage humains, Netherlands, 1961

Sale Date: December 15, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled (Cow) (from De Blijde en..., 1950

Karel Appel

Untitled (Cow) (from De Blijde en..., 1950

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Deux compositions avec figures, 1983

Karel Appel

Deux compositions avec figures, 1983

Sale Date: December 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Personnages et chien

Karel Appel

Personnages et chien

Sale Date: December 12, 2014

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel (Vogel), 1956

Karel Appel

Ohne Titel (Vogel), 1956

Sale Date: November 27, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio II. On Voit Marcher Toutes les

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio II. On Voit Marcher Toutes les

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio I. Clown d'Amsterdam (Nmr 7 av

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio I. Clown d'Amsterdam (Nmr 7 av

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio I. Ecuyere en Or 18 Carats...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio I. Ecuyere en Or 18 Carats...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio II. Te Voir Marcher est un...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio II. Te Voir Marcher est un...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio II. l'Ane Trop Paisible pour...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio II. l'Ane Trop Paisible pour...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio II. l'Ane Trop Paisible pour...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio II. l'Ane Trop Paisible pour...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio I. Cirque Miroir du Monde (Nmr

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio I. Cirque Miroir du Monde (Nmr

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio II. Sur la Piste de Manhattan...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio II. Sur la Piste de Manhattan...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio I. Lancer dans l'Espace...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio I. Lancer dans l'Espace...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Circus, portfolio I. Plus Malin et Plus Debile...

Karel Appel

Circus, portfolio I. Plus Malin et Plus Debile...

Sale Date: November 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Tête-montagne, 1976

Karel Appel

Tête-montagne, 1976

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Homme au chien, 1974

Karel Appel

Homme au chien, 1974

Sale Date: December 3, 2014

Auction Closed

Composition, 1960

Karel Appel

Composition, 1960

Sale Date: December 9, 2014

Auction Closed

Figure compositon

Karel Appel

Figure compositon

Sale Date: December 8, 2014

Auction Closed

Figure composition

Karel Appel

Figure composition

Sale Date: December 8, 2014

Auction Closed

L'Homme-Oiseau (The Bird Man), 1985

Karel Appel

L'Homme-Oiseau (The Bird Man), 1985

Sale Date: December 8, 2014

Auction Closed

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