A solo exhibition of works by Karel Appel (1921–2006).
On 8 November 1948, two Belgian poets, alongside one Danish and three Dutch painters, gathered in the Café de l’Hôtel Notre-Dame in Paris. Here, they founded an avant-garde movement that would soon be given the name CoBrA, a compilation of the initials of Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam, the capital cities from which the founders originated. While Paris was still considered the world’s art capital, ‘Pa’ was conspicuously absent from the name.
Last year, several institutional exhibitions commemorated the 75th birthday of CoBrA’s inception, which might be taken as a proof of the movement’s lasting impact. However, just three years after its foundation, CoBrA was disbanded and virtually forgotten for the rest of the 1950s. Its rediscovery began in the 1960s, encouraged by its key figure, the Belgian poet Christian Dotremont, as well as by some galleries and collectors who specialised in the movement. The name’s labelling efficiency may have played a role in this astonishing success.
Karel Appel, born in Amsterdam, was one of the six CoBrA founders. Yet, he was the only one to succeed in his international breakthrough quite soon after the group’s dissolution. In 1954, he had his first exhibition in New York, the upcoming new art capital, and from 1957 onwards, he shared his time between Paris and New York. Then, he was perceived as an artist of the Nouvelle École de Paris rather than a member of CoBrA.
By the time the world’s art capital had shifted from Paris to New York, around the mid-1960s, the medium of painting had become considered outdated. Appel, always in search of new inspiration during his long career, reacted by incorporating elements of the sleek Pop style with typical CoBrA themes, which he had all but abandoned in the interim. This combination was very successful, and despite lasting no longer than a decade, it crystallised his exclusive association with CoBrA in the general perception.
The present exhibition sets out to diversify this reductionist image. In a rather didactical setup, it separates the CoBrA years from Appel’s subsequent production.
| Duration | 11 January 2024 - 17 February 2024 |
| Times | Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 6 pm Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Galerie Max Hetzler |
| Address | 41 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NS |
| Contact | 442076297733 / london@maxhetzler.com / https://www.maxhetzler.com |