PRINTPROVENANCE:
Pissarro Collection, Nice (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, Paris
Private Collection, Asia
Pissarro Collection, Nice (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, Paris
Private Collection, Asia
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Sans titre
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Oil on paper, mounted onto canvas 56 x 76 cm Signed lower right Appel in Dutch |
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Estimate
700,000 - 1,100,000 173,000 - 272,000 22,300 - 35,000
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Sold Price
720,000 174,757 22,507
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Catalogue Note:
SANS TITRE KAREL APPEL Karel Appel was born in 1921 in Amsterdam. He is one of the founders of the CoBrA, an avant garde art group founded in November 1948. The group was short-lived and disintegrated in November 1951, but it stimulated a refreshing, experimental spirit in the art world at the time, liberating contemporary European artistic traditions from over emphasizing form and rationality. Instead, the group embraced spontaneous paint, which had an effect on the rise of individual styles such as abstract and action painting in the 1950s. From 1940 to 1943, Appel studied at the Amsterdam State Academy. After World War II, he infused children’s drawing styles with his own, and held his first solo exhibition at Groningen, Netherlands i n 1 9 4 6 . I n 1 9 4 9 , a l o n g w i t h h i s f r i e n d s B e v e r l o o Corneille and Consant, he held the first major exhibit of the CoBrA movement at the Amsterdam Museum of Art. The inspiration for Appel’s work is diverse, ranging from fantastic monsters, animals, to people. He also experimented with textured sculptures.
In 1950, he moved to Paris. Appel won numerous awards, including the UNESCO award in the 1954 Venice Biennale, first prize in the 1959 Sao Paulo Art Biennia, and the Guggenheim International Award in 1960. Since 1968, he began creating relief sculpture, and sculptures using wood, glass and aluminum. Appel always stayed true to the “CoBrA” spirit and collaborated with different artists on many projects. Appel’s works remain full of lively energy. He doesn’t mix colors when painting, using bright colors and immature brushstrokes to create works that exude childlike innocence. After his trip to the Americas in 1957, Appel was inspired by jazz music, and created a series of bright oil paints with smooth lines. He uses diverse materials and techniques such as canvas, paper, mosaic and sculpting in his woks. His work combines diverse cultural backgrounds, and people in his works are usually portrayed with expressionism and masterful brushstrokes.
“Sans titre” is composed of color patches and r ough lines. The many colorful lines on the object that dominates the image create a cat-like shape. The structure of the painting is simple with modest colors. It is as lovely as a child’s painting, yet it resembles prehistoric symbols. The ease with which the broad brushstrokes move, together with the interchanging color tones, creates a jubilant, lively scene.
In 1950, he moved to Paris. Appel won numerous awards, including the UNESCO award in the 1954 Venice Biennale, first prize in the 1959 Sao Paulo Art Biennia, and the Guggenheim International Award in 1960. Since 1968, he began creating relief sculpture, and sculptures using wood, glass and aluminum. Appel always stayed true to the “CoBrA” spirit and collaborated with different artists on many projects. Appel’s works remain full of lively energy. He doesn’t mix colors when painting, using bright colors and immature brushstrokes to create works that exude childlike innocence. After his trip to the Americas in 1957, Appel was inspired by jazz music, and created a series of bright oil paints with smooth lines. He uses diverse materials and techniques such as canvas, paper, mosaic and sculpting in his woks. His work combines diverse cultural backgrounds, and people in his works are usually portrayed with expressionism and masterful brushstrokes.
“Sans titre” is composed of color patches and r ough lines. The many colorful lines on the object that dominates the image create a cat-like shape. The structure of the painting is simple with modest colors. It is as lovely as a child’s painting, yet it resembles prehistoric symbols. The ease with which the broad brushstrokes move, together with the interchanging color tones, creates a jubilant, lively scene.