Karel AppelPaíses Bajos, 1921–2006Staande figuur
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Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam, Países Bajos
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- Fuente
- El museo
Sobre la escultura
Shortly after the Second World War a new generation of young artists stepped into the limelight. With their unpolished and improvised painting and sculptures they celebrated their regained freedom after years of German occupation. Karel Appel looked at artefacts from Africa and Oceania. He thought they were exemplary models of the unspoilt creativity and drive that should form the basis of art in a free society.
Rijksmuseum
Ficha
- Número de inventario
- BK-C-2015-1
En el catálogo
Fuentes
- Rijksmuseum
- Imagen: Rijksmuseum — © the artist or rights holder
Mientras tanto, en la vida de Karel Appel
La vida entera1947
Begins assembling sculptures from used materials
Appel began making sculptures from all kinds of used materials, in the technique of assemblage, and painting them in bright white, red, yellow, blue and black.
1948
Co-founds the CoBrA group
With Corneille, Constant and Jan Nieuwenhuys, Appel was among the founders of CoBrA: the Dutch Experimental Group was joined by the Belgian Pierre Alechinsky and the Dane Asger Jorn, and the Belgian poet Christian Dotremont coined the name from the initials of Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. The group set out to express instinct and the subconscious through painting, in loud, bright colors and fantastic imagery.
1949
The scandalous CoBrA show at the Stedelijk Museum
Appel exhibited with the other CoBrA artists at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; the show caused a huge scandal and many objections in the press and among the public.
14 March 1949
Scandal over his fresco in Amsterdam City Hall
Appel completed the fresco “Questioning Children” commissioned for the canteen of Amsterdam City Hall, whose sketch had been approved by a city council committee. It drew a wave of harsh criticism and was covered up for ten years; after the scandal Appel began calling himself a barbarian and kept up the image, literally hurling paint at the canvas and groaning loudly as he worked.
1950
Moves to Paris
Because of the controversy and other negative Dutch reactions to CoBrA, Appel moved to Paris. From there he built an international reputation, traveling to Mexico, the United States, Yugoslavia, Brazil, Japan and China; he also lived in New York and Florence.
