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.

Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction

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

Karel Appel Artworks

Karel Appel (11,953 results)

Circus (Tanzender, Trompete spielender..., 1978

Karel Appel

Circus (Tanzender, Trompete spielender..., 1978

Sale Date: May 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Circus (Raubtier, durch einen brennenden..., 1978

Karel Appel

Circus (Raubtier, durch einen brennenden..., 1978

Sale Date: May 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Circus (Jonglierender Elefant), 1978

Karel Appel

Circus (Jonglierender Elefant), 1978

Sale Date: May 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Circus (Jongleur), 1978

Karel Appel

Circus (Jongleur), 1978

Sale Date: May 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Circus (Clown), 1978

Karel Appel

Circus (Clown), 1978

Sale Date: May 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Karel appel - Hoofd, 1978

Karel Appel

Karel appel - Hoofd, 1978

Sale Date: May 13, 2006

Auction Closed

Compositie, 1978

Karel Appel

Compositie, 1978

Sale Date: May 13, 2006

Auction Closed

Big head, 2002

Karel Appel

Big head, 2002

Sale Date: May 13, 2006

Auction Closed

A deux pinceaux, 1978

Karel Appel and Pierre Alechinsky

A deux pinceaux, 1978

Sale Date: May 13, 2006

Auction Closed

Smiling figure, 1984

Karel Appel

Smiling figure, 1984

Sale Date: May 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1980

Karel Appel

Sans titre, 1980

Sale Date: May 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Children in the dark, 1976

Karel Appel

Children in the dark, 1976

Sale Date: May 17, 2006

Auction Closed

Trois figures et animal, 1973

Karel Appel

Trois figures et animal, 1973

Sale Date: May 15, 2006

Auction Closed

Composition (collab. w/Christian Dotremont), 1982

Karel Appel

Composition (collab. w/Christian Dotremont), 1982

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Composition (collab. w/Christian Dotremont), 1982

Karel Appel

Composition (collab. w/Christian Dotremont), 1982

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Qui avance de printemps en tout temps vif..., 1982

Karel Appel

Qui avance de printemps en tout temps vif..., 1982

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Expression nerveuse d'immédiates mazurkas..., 1982

Karel Appel

Expression nerveuse d'immédiates mazurkas..., 1982

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Dormi fable d'éveil (collab. w/Christian..., 1982

Karel Appel

Dormi fable d'éveil (collab. w/Christian..., 1982

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Figures, 1973

Karel Appel

Figures, 1973

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Paysage à la tête noire, 1959

Karel Appel

Paysage à la tête noire, 1959

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Musician - Hommage to Jimi Hendrix, 1975

Karel Appel

Musician - Hommage to Jimi Hendrix, 1975

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Composition, 1956

Karel Appel

Composition, 1956

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Animal, 1978

Karel Appel

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Petite fille, 1951

Karel Appel

Petite fille, 1951

Sale Date: May 30, 2006

Auction Closed

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