Karel Appel
A founding figure of CoBrA (1948–1951), which developed from the Dutch Experimental Group (1948), Karel Appel (1921–2006) began his career in the aftermath of the Second World War. Over the course of six decades, the artist experimented widely, across painting, sculpture, drawing, and stage design, distinguishing himself for his astonishing capacity to innovate; Appel never settled in a signature style, media or subject. Going beyond his classical, academic training at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, the artist looked at folk art, as well as the uninhibited work of children and the mentally ill, whilst also drawing from jazz’s spirit of improvisation. Alternating between abstraction and figuration, Appel adopted a material-oriented approach in his practice, and promoted a genuine form of expression, an art which writer and curator Klaus Ottmann describes as ‘divorced from any political or didactic purpose’.
‘The Appel effect represents painting and sculpture at their best. It is close to the heart, animalistic, idealistic and thoroughly experimental. It playfully combines ideology with matter and form, and pushes us beyond the boundaries imposed by the human condition.’
K. Ottmann, ‘The Appel Effect’, in: Karel Appel. Retrospective, exh. cat., Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague; Cologne: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2016, p. 46
Image: Nude no. 32, 1995, © Karel Appel Foundation / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2019
Solo Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
Selected Institutional Exhibitions
Biography
VITA
1921
Born in Amsterdam
1942
Studies at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam
1948–1951
Founding figure and participant of the CoBra movement
2006
Died in Zurich
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Albertina, Vienna
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo
Bonnefanten Museum, Masstricht
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
CGAC - Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Santiago de Compostela
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen
Collezione Peggy Guggenheim, Venice
Danubiana – Muelensteen Art Museum, Bratislava
Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki
Fondation Van Gogh, Arles
FRAC – Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, Marseille
GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo
Henie-Onstad Art Center, Høvikodden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.
Hofstra Museum at Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
IVAM, Centre Julio González, Valencia
Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg
Kunsthalle Bremen
Kunsthalle in Emden, Stiftung Henri und Eske Nannen und Schenkung Otto van de Loo
Kunstmuseum Winterthur
LAAC – Lieu d’Art et Ection Contemporaine de Dunkerque, Dunkerque
Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz
Les Abattoires – Centre d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Toulouse
Louisiana Museum, Humblebaek
Mamac - Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Liege
MASP - Museo de Arte de São Paolo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paolo
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Saint Louis
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montréal
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Musée National d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporian, Nice
Musee Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Museo de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paolo, São Paolo
Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City
Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Museum Jorn, Silkeborg
Museum Ludwig, Cologne
Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum Würth, Künzelsau
National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik
National Museum of Art, Osaka
National Museum of Art, Oslo
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona
Pinakothek der Moderne – Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München
R. & H. Batliner Art Foundation, Vienna
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, Amersfoort
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Rose Art Museum, Waltham
S.M.A.K., Gent
Sammlung Essl, Klosterburg
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
Scottish National Galerie of Modern Art, Edinburgh
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Stanford University Museum of Art
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
Tate Modern, London
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
The Berardo Collection Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Lisbon
The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.
Ulster Museum, Belfast
University at Buffalo Art Galleries, Buffalo
University of California, Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Encounter in Spring and what follows, curated by Franz W. Kaiser
Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin
2022
Spinning Six Decades. Part I, Part II
Jahn und Jahn, Munich
Paris / New York
Galerie Max Hetzler, London (catalogue)
2021
Eternal Space of Being
Galerie Lelong & Co., Paris
Karel Appel 100
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen
Object Paintings
Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin (catalogue)
2019
Late Nudes, 1985–1995
Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin (catalogue)
Figures et Paysages
Almine Rech Gallery, Paris
Works on canvas and paper
Gallery Delaive, Amsterdam
Works on Paper 1945–2006
Galerie Ulysses, Wien
2018
Karel Appel. Tête en carton. Collagen 1960–1967
Jahn und Jahn, Munich
Karel Appel: Out of Nature
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
2017
Karel Appel. Works on Paper 1945–2006
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel. L'art est une fête !
Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris
2016
Karel Appel. Der abstrakte Blick
Emil Schumacher Museum Hagen, Hagen
Karel Appel. A Gesture of Color. Paintings and Sculptures, 1947–2004
The Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.
Werke auf Papier
Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München, Munich
Karel Appel. Paintings from Six Decades
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
The Opera
Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen
Karel Appel Retrospectief / Karel Appel Retrospective
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
Karel Appel. Reset
Slewe Gallery, Amsterdam
2015
Karel Appel: Works on paper
Musée national d’art moderne – Centre Pompidou, Paris
2014
Karel Appel
Blum & Poe, New York
2013
Karel Appel: I do not paint, I hit!
Museum Jorn, Silkeborg
Karel Appel: Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
2011
Karel Appel & Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh Huis, Zundert
2010
Karel Appel. Paintings from five Decades
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
2009
Karel Appel: Peintures 2000–2001
Galerie Lelong, Paris
2008
Karel Appel: The Sixties
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel – Jazz 1958–1962
Cobra Museum, Amstelveen
Karel Appel: Opere 1990–2002
Galleria Arte 92, Milan
2007
Karel Appel. Works on paper 1949–2005
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel: Monumentale Aktzeichnungen
Albertina, Vienna
Karel Appel: Last Paintings
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
2005
Karel Appel: Retrospective 1945–2005
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava
Karel Appel: Opere 1991–2002
Galleria Arte 92, Milan
Karel Appel: Recente Werken
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
2004
Karel Appel. The Cobra Years
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Paperworks of Karel Appel
National Museum, Belgrade
Karel Appel. New Works on Paper
JG Contemporary, New York
Karel Appel. Onderweg: Reis van Rudi Fuchs langs de Kunst der Lage Landen
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
2003
Karel Appel: oeuvres sur papier 1999–2002
Galerie Lelong, Paris
2002
Karel Appel
Kunstforum Wien, Vienna
Karel Appel: Japanese Landscapes
Galerie Lelong, Zurich
Karel Appel: werken op papier
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
Karel Appel: Mutation in Motion
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
2001
Karel Appel: Beelden 1936–2000
Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen
Karel Appel: Der Machtwille der Planeten
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel: Pastorale Chiaroscuro
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Karel Appel: “Sag zum Abschied leise Servus”
Galerie Lelong, Paris
Karel Appel: Werk op papier
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
2000
Karel Appel: Recente sculpturen & gedichten
Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent
Karel Appel: 2000
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1999
Karel Appel: Toys from the Attic
Bergen Kunstmuseum
Karel Appel... Peintures, dessins et sculptures
Scène National d’Orléans, Orléans
1998
Sculptures without a Hero
The Sculpture Garden at 590 Madison Avenue, New York
Karel Appel: Psychopathological Art 1948–50
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Sculptures without a Hero
Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen
Appel: Natural Phenomenon
Galerie Lelong, Paris
Karel Appel: Birth of a Landscape
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel: “Thinking Spaces”
Kärntner Landesgalerie, Klagenfurt
Karel Appel
Atelier del Bosco di Villa Medici, Rome
1997
Karel Appel: “Unintended Monuments”
Galerie Lelong, Zurich
1996
Karel Appel
Die Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck
Karel Appel: Gemälde, Gouachen, Zeichnungen 1950–1965
BAWAG Fondation, Vienna
Appel: Figures et Paysages
Galerie Lelong, Paris
Karel Appel: Variazioni sul tema
Fondazione Ambrosetti Arte Contemporanea, Brescia
1995
Karel Appel: Ich bin die Erde der alles entspringt
Galerie Ulysses, Vienna
Karel Appel: Sculpture
Anderson Gallery, Buffalo
Karel Appel: Toskanischer Horizont
Galerie Lelong, Zurich
1993
Singing Donkeys: Nieuwe beelden van Karel Appel
Paleis Lange Voorhout, The Hague
1991
Karel Appel Retrospective
The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul
Karel Appel: Black & White Paintings
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
1990
Karel Appel: Ik wou dat ik een vogel was. Grote formaten in de Beurs van Berlage
Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam
Karel Appel
Fine arts gallery, Visual arts department, UMBC, Baltimore
Karel Appel: Ik wou dat ik een vogel was
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
1989
Karel Appel in Tokyo: 18 Works on Paper
Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
Appel
The National Museum of Art, Osaka
1988
Karel Appel: Portraits
Galerie de France, Paris
Karel Appel: Portraits from the Titan Series
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
Karel Appel
Galerie Beyeler, Basel
1987
Karel Appel: Dipinti, sculture e collages
Castello di Rivoli, Turin
Karel Appel: Recent Paintings and Sculpture
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: Peinture-Sculpture-Dessin
Galerie d’Art Contemporain des Musées de Nice & Galerie des Ponchettes, Nice
1986
Karel Appel: Recent Paintings and Sculpture; Clouds, Windmill, Nudes and Other Mythologies
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale
Karel Appel: Paintings 1980–1985
Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol
Karel Appel: Recent Paintings
Marisa del Re Gallery, New York
1985
Karel Appel
Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence
Karel Appel: New Yorker Bilder 1984–1985
Galerie Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne
Karel Appel: CoBrA Paintings 1948–1951
James Goodman Gallery, New York
Appel 1950 – 1970
The Contemporary Art Gallery, Tokyo
1984
Karel Appel
Listasafn, Reykjavik, Iceland
Karel Appel: Recent werk / oeuvres récentes / 1980–1983
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Karel Appel
Annina Nosei Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: 14 Cobra-werken op papier
Collection d'Art, Amsterdam
Karel Appel
Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, New York
1983
Karel Appel: Oeuvres récentes
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
Karel Appel: Recent Paintings
Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, New York
Karel Appel: New Work
Gimpel Fils, London
1982
25 Years on the Road: A Visual Tribute to Kerouac
Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder
Het Nieuwe Werk van Karel Appel 1979–1981
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Karel Appel: Werk op papier 1941–1981, tekeningen, aquarellen, gouaches
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
1981
Karel Appel
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Karel Appel: tentoonstelling t.g.v. zijn 60-ste verjaardag
Galerie Nova Spectra, The Hague
Appel
Museu de Arte do São Paulo, São Paulo
Karel Appel: Paintings from the 50's and 60's
Gimpel Fils, London
1980
Karel Appel
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
Karel Appel Recent Work
Hokin Gallery, Palm Beach
1979
The Graphic Art of Karel Appel: Art Gallery of Hamilton Collection
Art Gallery of York University, Toronto
1978
Dreissig Jahre Karel Appel
Saarland Museum, Saarbrücken
Karel Appel: Peintures et Sculpture
Fondation Château de Jau, Cases-de-Pène
1977
Prints
Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
Karel Appel
Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City
Karel Appel: The Complete Graphic Collection
Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario
1976
Karel Appel
Collection d’art, Amsterdam
Karel Appel: Schilderijen, gouaches, acryls, keramische beelden 1950–1975
Galerie Nova Spectra, The Hague
Karel Appel: Paintings of the 60’s
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
1975
Karel Appel
Aberbach Fine Art, New York
Appel
Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, New York
Appel
Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo
Appel: Paintings
Wildenstein, London
1974
Karel Appel Retrospective
Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale
Karel Appel: Retrospective 1955–1973; Oils, Acrylics, Gouaches, Lithographs
Gloria Luria Gallery, Miami
Karel Appel: Paintings from the 50’s and 60’s
Gimpel Fils, London
1973
Karel Appel: The Early Fifties - Paintings, Gouaches, Drawings, Ceramics 1950–56
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
1972
Appel’s Appels
Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal
1971
Karel Appel
Galerie Moderne, Silkeborg
Karel Appel
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
1970
Appel’s Oogappels
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
1969
Appel: Peinture acrylic
Gimpel & Hanover Galerie, Zurich
1968
Karel Appel: Reliefs 1966–68
Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Paris
1967
Karel Appel
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: Paintings, Gouaches, Graphics
Redfern Gallery, London
1966
Appel
Galerie Ariel, Paris
Karel Appel: paintings and graphics
Makler Gallery, Philadelphia
1965
Appel
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1964
Appel Nudes
Stephen Hahn Gallery, New York
Appel
American Art Gallery, Copenhagen
Karel Appel
Galleria Blu, Milan
Karel Appel from California Collections
Pavilion Gallery, Balboa
Karel Appel: Object-Paintings
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
1963
Karel Appel: Paintings, Sculpture, Graphics, Books
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: Selezione di dipinti dal 1950 al 1961
La Medusa, Rome
Karel Appel: Dix Ans de Lithographie 1953–1963
Galerie Anderson - Mayer, Paris
Appel
Galerie Nova Spectra, The Hague
Appel Nudes
Gimpel & Hanover Galerie, Zurich
1962
Karel Appel: Collages 1949–1962
Galerie Charles Lienhard, Zurich
Karel Appel
Galerie Der Spiegel, Cologne
Karel Appel: Paintings 1951–1956
Stephen Hahn Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: Sculptures
Galerie Rive Droite, Paris
1961
Karel Appel. Gouaches and Lithographs
David Anderson Gallery, New York
Appel
Gallery Moos, Toronto
Karel Appel
Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
K. Appel
Galleria dell’Ariete, Milan
Karel Appel
Gimpel Fils, London
Karel Appel: West Coast Exhibiton
San Francisco Art Museum, San Francisco
1960
Karel Appel
Galerie Rive Droite, Paris
Karel Appel
Galleria Lorenzelli, Bergamo
Karel Appel: Paintings 1955–1960 and Recent Gouaches
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Lithographs by Appel
David Anderson Gallery, New York
1959
Dipingere coi tessuti
Il Centro Internazionale della Arti e del Costume, Palazzo Grassi, Venice
Oil paintings from 1952–1959 by Karel Appel
Gimpel Fils, London
Appel
Gendai Gallery, Tokyo
Karel Appel
Galerie Charles Lienhard, Zurich
1958
Karel Appel
Galerie Änne Abels, Cologne
Appel
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Appel: Gouaches et céramiques
Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris
1957
Paintings: Karel Appel
Institute of Contemporary Art, London
Appel: New paintings
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Appel
Galerie Stadler, Paris
Karel Appel
Galerie Espace, Haarlem
Appel
Galleria La Tartaruga, Rome
1956
Appel
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
Karel Appel: Portraits
Galerie Rive Droite, Paris
K. Appel: Dipinti e ceramiche
Galleria dell’Ariete, Milan
1955
Karel Appel
Galerie Rive Droite, Paris
1954
Appel
Studio Paul Facchetti, Paris
Karel Appel: First American Exhibition
Martha Jackson Gallery, New York
1953
Karel Appel
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
1951
Karel Appel
Kunstzaal van Lier, Amsterdam
1949
Karel Appel
Het Beerenhuis, Groningen
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
Herzstücke. The Kunsthalle Collection
Kunsthalle Tübingen
New Acquisitions
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humblebæk
Chaissac & CoBrA. Sous le signe du serpent
Musée Soulages, Rodez
2021
Personae: Masks Against Barbarism
Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma, Palma
Let Textiles Talk: Six Tapestries Unravelled
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
CA2M Dialect
Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Madrid
WILD/SCHÖN. Tiere in der Kunst
Kunsthalle Emden
2020
Degree Zero. Drawing at Midcentury
MoMA, New York
Pure Abstraction
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint
CoBrA e origini
Dellupi Arte, Mailand
Mit heißem Herzen. Aus Leidenschaft zur Kunst. Die Sammlungen Becker, van de Loo und Nannen
Kunsthalle Emden
Disonata. Art in Sound up to 1980
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid
Galerie Max Hetzler, London
Summer
Almine Rech, Paris
Forget (Part II: Don’t Forget Your Mask)
Jahn und Jahn, Munich
Karel Appel / Pierre Alechinsky. Travaux à deux pinceaux (1976–1978)
Galerie Lelong & Co., Paris
New Images of Man
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
Plan A
FRAC – Poitou-Charentes - Angoulême
2019
Chagall, Picasso, Mondrian and Others
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
40 Jahre DIE GALERIE
Die Galerie, Frankfurt/Main
2018
Wildnis
Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt/Main
BLACK HOLE: Art and materiality from Informal to Invisible
Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo (GAMeC), Bergamo
The Most Dangerous Game
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
70 Jahre Cobra
Die Galerie, Frankfurt am Main
110 Years 110 Works
Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, Bilbao
Wohin das Auge reicht – Neue Einblicke in die Sammlung Würth
Kunsthalle Würth, Schwäbische Hall
Informel International – Auszüge aus der Sammlung Haniel
Märkisches Museum Witten, Witten
Hugo Claus, Con amore
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
2016
Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945–1965
Haus der Kunst, Munich
2015
I Got Rhythm. Kunst und Jazz seit 1920
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart
Miró & Cobra. Experimenteel spel
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen
The Avant-Garde Won’t Give Up. Cobra & Its Legacy
Blum & Poe, New York
2014
International Exchanges: Modern Art and St Ives 1915 –65
Tate St Ives, Saint Ives
From the Guggenheim Collection to the Cobra Museum Amstelveen. International Abstraction 1949–1960
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen
2013
From Beckmann to Warhol. Art of the 20th and 21st Century – Collection Bayer
Martin Gropius Bau Berlin, Berlin
Opening Exhibition
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam
2012
Passadena to Santa Barbara: A Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951–1969
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara
Art of Another Kind: International Abstraction and the Guggenheim, 1949–1960
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
2011
Klee und Cobra. Ein Kinderspiel
Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern
Les Sujets de l’Abstraction, Peinture non-figurative de la Seconde École de Paris, 101 Chefs-d’œuvre de la Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
Musée Rath, Geneva
Postwar Abstract Painting in France and Art Informel
Bridgestone Museum of Art, Ishibashi Foundation, Tokyo
Parijs - Stad van de moderne kunst 1900–1960
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague
2010
Le grand geste! Informel und Abstrakter Expressionismus 1946–1964
Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf
2009
Musée National d’Art Moderne: La collection permanente (de 1905 à nos jours)
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Paris Central. Vrije stad, vrije kunst in de jaren ’50
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen
Meisterwerke der Moderne: Die Sammlung Batliner
Albertina, Vienna
The Sweeney Decade: Acquisitions at the 1959 Inaugural
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
2008
The Human Image in the Twentieth Century : From Picasso and Dali to Yokoo and Nara, Works from the Collection of the Tokushima Modern Art Museum
Gunma Museum of Art, Gunma, Japan
De Miró à Warhol. La Collection Berardo à Paris
Musée du Luxembourg, Paris
Action Painting
Fondation Beyeler, Basel
Goya y el mundo moderno
Museo de Zaragoza, Spain
2007
Monet to Picasso - The Batliner Collection
Albertina, Vienna
Collage/Collages from Cubism to New Dada
GAM Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin
2006
The Guggenheim Collection
Kunst-und Austellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Kunstmuseum Bonn
Pour revoir le monde: collection d’art moderne et contemporain des Abattoirs Toulouse
Fine Arts School, Chongqing
2005
Von Spitzweg bis Baselitz: Streifzüge durch die Sammlung Würth / From Spitzweg to Baselitz: Excursions to the Würth Collection
Museum Würth, Künzelsau
2004
Encounters with Modernism. Highlights from the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai
Expressive Bildwelten: die Schenkungen Otto van de Loo
Kunsthalle in Emden
Nordic Summer
Galerie Beyeler, Basel
2003
Expressiv!
Fondation Beyeler, Basel
Papiers choisis
Les Abattoirs, Toulouse
Up to now
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Gogh Modern: Vincent van Gogh en de hedendaagse kunst
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Cobra in the Hermitage
Hermitage, St. Petersburg
2002
Paris: Capital of the Arts, 1900–1968
The Royal Academy of Arts, London
2000
About Collage
Tate Gallery Liverpool, Liverpool
1998
Rendezvous. Masterpieces from the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Guggenheim Museums
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
1997
Made in France 1947–1997
Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou, Paris
Art of the 20th Century, Flemish and Dutch Painting. From Van Gogh, Ensor, Magritte, Mondrian to contemporary artists
Palazzo Grassi, Venice
1996
Munch en na Munch: of de hardnekkigheid van schilders / Munch and after Munch: or the obstinacy of painters
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1995
Views from Abroad. European Perspectives on American Art I
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
1994
New Displays 1994
Tate Gallery, London
1985
7th Cleveland International Drawing Biennale. Invited Artist: Karel Appel
Cleveland County Museum, Cleveland
1984
Artistic Collaboration in the Twentieth Century
Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.
1980
Belgique – Pays-Bas. Points de rapprochement et parallèles dans l’art après 1945
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
1971
Martha Jackson Gallery Collection
The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo
Opere di Maestri Contemporanei Europei
Palazzo Internazionale delle Aste ed Esposizioni, Florence
1969
Appel – Lucebert –Tajiri
Kunsthalle Basel
1968
Painting in France 1900–1967
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
1965
Imagadventure
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
1963
Schrift en beeld
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
20th century Master Drawings
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
1960
Famous Likeness
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Antagonismes
Musée des Arts Decoratifs - Palais du Louvre - Pavillon de Marsan, Paris
1959
II. documenta
Kassel
Vitalità nell'Arte
Il Centro Internazionale della Arti e del Costume, Palazzo Grassi, Venice
Paintings from the Stedelijk Museum
Milwakee Art Center, Wisconsin
New Images of Man
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Trends in Contemporary Dutch Art
The Arts Council, London
1955
Expressionism 1900–1955
San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco
1954
Olanda
The Dutch Pavillion of the XXVII Biennale di Venezia, Venice
1953
Younger European Painters
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
1949
Exposition Internationale d’Art Expérimental
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1948
Werken van Appel, Corneille, Constant
Kunstzaal Van Lier, Amsterdam
Amsterdamse schilders van nu
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1946
Jonge Schilders
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris (Ed.): Karel Appel, Paris, 2017
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Ed.): Karel Appel Retrospectief / Karel Appel Retrospective, The Hague, 2016
The Phillips Collection (Ed.): Karel Appel. A Gesture of Color. Paintings and Sculptures, 1947–2004, Washington, 2016
Emil Schumacher Museum Hagen (Ed.): Karel Appel. Der abstrakte Blick, Hagen, 2016
Galerie Ulysses (Ed.): Karel Appel. Paintings from Six Decades, Vienna, 2016
Blum & Poe (Ed.): The Avant-Garde Won’t Give Up. Cobra & Its Legacy, New York, 2015
Centre Pompidou & Staatliche Sammlung München – Pinakothek der Moderne (Eds.): Karel Appel. Works on paper, Munich/Paris, 2015
Blum & Poe (Ed.): Karel Appel, New York, 2014
Museum Jorn (Ed.): Karel Appel. I do not paint, I hit!, Silkeborg, 2013
Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Ed.): Pasadena to Santa Barbara: Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951–1969, Santa Barbara, 2012
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Ed.): Art of Another Kind: International Abstraction and the Guggenheim, 1949–1960, New York, 2012
Vincent van Gogh Huis (Ed.): Karel Appel & Van Gogh, Zundert, 2011
Zentrum Paul Klee (Ed.): Klee and Cobra – A Child’s Play, Bern, 2011
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Ed.): Parijs. Stad van de moderne kunst, The Hague, 2011
Galerie Ulysses (Ed): Karel Appel: Paintings from five decades, Vienna, 2010
Universitaire Pers Leuven (Ed.): Karel Appel, Un geste de couleur / Karel Appel, A Gesture of Colour, Leuven, 2009
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Ed.): Paris Central. Vrije stad, vrije kunst in de jaren ’50, Amstelveen, 2009
Musée Luxembourg (Ed.): De Miró à Warhol. La collection Berardo à Paris, Paris, 2008
Galerie Ulysses (Ed.): Karel Appel: The Sixties, Vienna, 2008
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Ed.): Karel Appel. Jazz 1958–1962, Amstelveen, 2008
Galleria Arte 92 (Ed.): Karel Appel: Opere 1990–2002, Milan, 2008
Athaneum-Polak & Van Gennep (Ed.): Karel Appel in Essentie, Amsterdam, 2007
Albertina Museum (Ed.): Karel Appel. Monumentale Aktzeichnungen, Vienna, 2007
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Ed.): The Guggenheim. Die Sammlung, Bonn, 2006
Galerie Ulysses (Ed.): Karel Appel: Last Paintings, Vienna, 2006
Galleria Arte 92 (Ed.): Karel Appel. Opere 1991–2002, Milan, 2005
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum (Ed.): Karel Appel: Retrospective 1945–2005, Bratislava, 2005
Palais des Beaux-Arts (Ed.): Karel Appel. Onderweg. Reis van Rudi Fuchs langs de kunst der lage landen, Brussels, 2004
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Karel Appel: Japanese Landscapes, Zurich, 2002
Kunstforum Wien (Ed.): Karel Appel, Vienna, 2002
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Karel Appel: Sag zum Abschied leise Servus, Paris, 2001
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Ed.): Karel Appel: Beelden 1936–2000, Amstelveen, 2001
Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (Ed.): Karel Appel, Pastorale Chiaroscuro, Amsterdam, 2001
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag (Ed.): Karel Appel: Werk op papier, The Hague, 2001
Galerie Ulysses (Ed.): Karel Appel: Der Machtwille der Planeten, Vienna, 2001
Uitgeverij Contact (Ed.): Karel Appel. De Biografie, Amsterdam, 2000
Galerie Kusseneers (Ed.): Karel Appel, Lier, 2000
Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (Ed.): Karel Appel: Recente sculpturen & gedichten, Ghent, 2000
Verlag Gachnang & Springer (Ed.): Karel Appel: Psychopathological Notebook, Bern/Berlin, 1999
Kärntner Landesgalerie (Ed.): Karel Appel. Thinking Spaces, Klagenfurt, 1998
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Appel: Natural Phenomenon, Paris, 1998
Atelier del Bosco di Villa Medici (Ed.): Karel Appel, Rome, 1998
Verlag Gachnang & Springer (Eds.): Karel Appel, ein Farbgestus, Bern/Berlin, 1998
Galerie Ulysses (Ed.): Karel Appel: Birth of a Landscape, Vienna, 1998
Verlag Gachnang & Springer (Eds.): Karel Appel: Psychopathologisches Notizbuch. Zeichnungen und Gouachen 1948–1950, Bern/Berlin, 1997
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Karel Appel: Unintended Monuments, Zurich, 1997
Uitgeverij Contact (Ed.): Ode aan het Rood, Amsterdam, 1996
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Appel. Figures et paysages, Paris, 1996
Fondazione Ambrosetti Arte Contemporanea (Ed.): Karel Appel: Variazioni sul tema, Brescia, 1996
BAWAG Foundation (Ed.): Karel Appel. Gemälde, Gouachen, Zeichnungen 1950–1965, Vienna, 1996
Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst (Ed.): De taal van Cobra en haar bronnen: uit de museumcollectie Van Stuijvenberg, Amstelveen, 1995
Anderson Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Sculpture, Buffalo, 1995
Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich & Kunstmuseum Bern (Eds.): Mit dem Auge des Kindes, Munich/Bern, 1995
Galerie Lelong (Ed.): Karel Appel, Toskanischer Horizont, Zurich, 1995
Galerie Ulysses / Kärntner Landesgalerie Klagenfurt / Moderna Galerija Ljubljana (Eds.): Karel Appel: Ich bin die Erde der alles entspringt, Vienna/Klagenfurt/Ljubljana, 1995
H. N. Abrams (Ed.): Karel Appel Sculpture. A Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1994
The National Museum of Contemporary Art (Ed.): Karel Appel Retrospective, Seoul, 1994
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (Ed.): A Retrospective of Karel Appel, Taiwan, 1994
Los Angeles County Museum of Art / Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía / Kunsthalle Basel / Setagaya Art Museum (Eds.): Parallel Visions. Modern Artists and Outsider Art, Los Angeles/Sofia/Basel/Tokyo, 1992
Marisa del Re Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Black & White Paintings, New York, 1991
Lafayette (Ed.): Karel Appel The Complete Sculptures, New York, 1990
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag / Josef Haubrich Kunsthalle / Fundació Juan Miró (Eds.): Ik wou dat Ik een Vogel was (If I were a bird), The Hague/Cologne/Barcelona, 1990
Lafayette (Ed.): Dupe of Being, New York, 1989
The National Museum of Art / The Seibu Museum of Art / Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts / Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art / Hakone Open Air Museum (Eds.): Appel, Osaka/Tokyo/Utsunomiya/Hiroshima/Ninotaira, 1989
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Karel Appel Peinture 1937-57 / Karel Appel. The Early Years 1937–57, Paris, 1988
Galerie Beyeler (Ed.): Karel Appel, Basel, 1988
Marisa del Re Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Portraits from the Titan Series, New York, 1988
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Karel Appel 40 Ans de Peinture, Sculpture & Dessin, Paris, 1987
Castello di Rivoli (Ed.): Karel Appel Dipinti, Sculpture e Collagi, Turin, 1987
Marisa del Re Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Recent Paintings and Sculpture, New York, 1987
De Bezige Bij (Ed.): De kleurige onbekende, Amsterdam, 1986
Marisa del Re Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Recent Paintings, New York, 1986
Museum of Art (Ed.): Recent Paintings and Sculpture; Clouds, Windmill, Nudes and Other Mythologies, Fort Lauderdale, 1986
Arnolfini Gallery / Douglas Hyde Gallery (Eds.): Karel Appel: paintings 1980–85, 1986
Abbeville Press (Ed.): Karel Appel, Streetart, Ceramics, Sculpture, Wood Reliefs, Tapestries, Murals, Villa el Salvador, New York, 1985
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Propos en Liberté de Karel Appel, Paris, 1985
Palazzo Medici Riccardi (Ed.): Karel Appel, Florence, 1985
James Goodman Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: CoBrA Paintings 1948-1951, New York, 1985
Galerie Rudolf Zwirner (Ed.): Karel Appel: New Yorker Bilder 1984–1985, Cologne, 1985
Palais des Beaux-Arts (Ed.): Karel Appel: Recent werk / oeuvres récentes / 1980–1983, Brussels, 1984
Listasafn (Ed.): Karel Appel, Reykjavik, 1984
Kunstforum (Ed.): Karel Appel, Schelderode, 1983
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Océan Blesseé, Paris, 1982
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Street Art, Le Second Souffle de Karel Appel, Paris, 1982
Éditions Galilée (Ed.): Ecrits sur Karel Appel, Paris 1982
Museum Boymans van Beuningen (Ed.): Het Nieuwe Werk van Karel Appel 1979–1981, Rotterdam, 1982
Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Ed.): Appel et Alechinsky. Encres à deux pinceaux, peintures, etc., France, 1982
Gemeente Museum Den Haag / Staatliche Kunsthalle / Städtische Galerie, Erlangen / Fries Museum / Liljevalchs Konsthall / Musee des Augustins / Kunstforeningen / Henie Onstad Kunstsenter (Eds.): Karel Appel: Werk op papier 1941–1981, tekeningen, aquarellen, gouaches, The Hague/Baden-Baden/Erlangen/Leeuwarden/Stockholm/Toulouse/Copenhagen/Oslo, 1982
Museé d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris / Maison de la Culture, Chalon-sur-Saône / Museé des Beaux-Arts (Eds.): CoBrA, 1948–1951, Paris/Rennes, 1982
Museu de Arte do São Paulo (Ed.): Appel, São Paulo, 1981
Galerie Nova Spectra (Ed.): Karel Appel: tentoonstelling t.g.v. zijn 60-ste verjaardag, The Hague, 1981
Harry N. Abrams / Meulenhoff / Landshoff (Eds.): Karel Appel, Amsterdam, 1980
Abbeville Press (Ed.): Works on Paper, New York, 1980
Art Gallery of York University (Ed.): The Graphic Art of Karel Appel: Art Gallery of Hamilton Collection, Toronto 1979
Saarland Museum / Rheinisches Landesmuseum / Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven (Eds.): Dreissig Jahre Karel Appel, Saarbrücken/Bonn/Wilkemshaven, 1978
Fondation Chateau de Jau (Ed.): Karel Appel. Peintures et sculptures, Cases-de-Pène, 1978
Van Spijk (Ed.): Karel Appel, Venlo, 1977
Yves Rivière (Ed.): Éloge de la Folie, Paris, 1977
Van Spijk (Ed.): Het Gezicht van Appel, Venlo, 1977
Museo de Arte Moderno / Museo de Bellas Artes (Eds.): Karel Appel, Mexico City/Caracas, 1977
Galerie Nova Spectra (Ed.): Karel Appel: schilderijen, gouaches, acryls, keramische beelden 1950–1975, The Hague, 1976
Wildenstein (Ed.): Appel: Paintings, London, 1975
The Detroit Institute of Arts (Ed.): CoBrA and Contrasts, The Winston-Malbin Collection, Detroit, 1974
Musée d'Art Contemporain (Ed.): Appel's Appels, Montreal, 1972
Triton Pers (Ed.): Karel Appel over Karel Appel, Amsterdam, 1971
Galerie Moderne (Ed.): Karel Appel, Silkeborg, 1971
Centraal Museum (Ed.): Appel’s Oogappels, Utrecht, 1970
Fratelli Fabri Editor (Ed.): Karel Appel, Le Grandi Monografie, Pittori d'Oggi, Milan, 1968
Martha Jackson Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel, New York, 1967
Stedelijk Museum / Palais des Beaux-Arts / Städtische Kunstgalerie / Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen / Moderna Museet (Eds.): Appel, Amsterdam/Bochum/Schaffhausen/Stockholm, 1965
American Art Gallery (Ed.): Appel, Copenhagen, 1964
Harry N. Abrams Publishers (Ed.): The Sculpture of Karel Appel, New York, 1963
A.W. Bruna & Zoon (Ed.): Het verhaal van Karel Appel. Een Proeve van Waarneming, Utrecht, 1963
Gimpel and Hanover Galerie Zürich / Galerie Europe / Gimpel Fils / Martha Jackson Gallery (Eds.): Appel Nudes, Zurich/Paris/London/New York, 1963
La Medusa (Ed.): Karel Appel: Selezione di dipinti dal 1950 al 1961, Rome, 1963
Edizione d’Arte Fratelli Pozzo (Ed.): Le sculture di Karel Appel, Turin, 1962
Galerie der Spiegel (Ed.): Karel Appel, Cologne, 1962
Galerie Rive Droite (Ed.): Karel Appel: Sculptures, Paris, 1962
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Ed.): Karel Appel: West Coast Exhibiton, San Francisco, 1961
Galleria dell 'Ariete (Ed.): K. Appel, Milan, 1961
Galleria Lorenzelli (Ed.): Karel Appel, Bergamo, 1960
Galerie Rive Droite (Ed.): Karel Appel , Paris 1960
Martha Jackson Gallery (Ed.): Karel Appel: Paintings 1955–1960 and Recent Gouaches, New York, 1960
Palazzo Grassi (Ed.): Dipingere coi tessuti, Venice, 1959
Galerie Charles Lienhard (Ed.): Karel Appel, Zurich, 1959
The Museum of Modern Art (Ed.): New images of man, New York, 1959
Galerie Claude Bernard (Ed.): Appel: Gouaches et céramiques, Paris, 1958
Galerie Änne Abels (Ed.): Karel Appel, Cologne, 1958
Martha Jackson Gallery (Ed.): Appel: New paintings, New York, 1957
Institute of Contemporary Art (Ed.): Paintings: Karel Appel, London, 1957
Galerie Stadler (Ed.): Appel, Paris, 1957
Galleria La Tartaruga (Ed.): Appel, Rome, 1957
Galerie Rive Droite (Ed.): Karel Appel: Portraits, Paris, 1956
Galleria dell'Ariete (Ed.): K. Appel: Dipinti e ceramiche, Milan, 1956
Galerie Rive Droite / Stedelijk Museum (Eds.): Karel Appel, Paris/Amsterdam, 1955
Biennale di Venezia XXVII (Ed.): Olanda, Venice, 1954
Studio Paul Fachetti (Ed.): Appel, Paris, 1954
Palais des Beaux-Arts (Ed.): Karel Appel, Brussels, 1953
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Ed.): Younger European painters, New York, 1953
Ejnar Munksgaard (Ed.): Appel, Copenhagen, 1950
Others
Verlag Gachnang & Springer (Eds.): Karel Appel: Der Machtwille der Planeten. Ich bin der Planet. Du bist der Planet. Wir sind die Planeten. Gedichte aus den Jahren 1941–1996, Bern/Berlin, 2000
Videos
Publications
Karel Appel: Encounter in Spring and what follows
Exhibition Poster
2023
€ 10.00
Karel Appel, Object Paintings
Exhibition Poster
2021
€ 20.00
Selected Press
Les Inrockuptibles July 2017
The New York Times February 2016