Karel Appel (Amsterdam, 1921 to Zurich, 2006) is one of the most famous Dutch artists of the twentieth century. In 1948 he was a co-founder of CoBrA, the experimental movement that radically broke open post-war art.
Appel sought a direct, unrestrained way of painting. His famous remark 'I just mess around' summed up that attitude, though behind the apparent spontaneity lies an unerring feel for colour and composition.
His visual language is instantly recognisable: bright, unmixed colours, thick black contours and fantastical creatures, birds, cats and childlike figures. The paint often lies thick and physical on the canvas.
From the 1950s onwards Appel worked internationally, with exhibitions and commissions all over the world. His work hangs in leading museums, from the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam to the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
At Delft Gallery, Appel is represented with work in which that raw joie de vivre remains palpable. It is precisely that direct expressive power that makes his work so sought after by collectors.