Karel Appel, Untitled (1961)

Untitled, 1961
Painting, oil on canvas
Dimensions: 26 × 21 7/10 in (66 × 55 cm)

KAREL APPEL (Dutch, born 1921) was an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor, and poet. He was a controversial figure and a founding member of the CoBrA avant-garde movement. He is known for his childlike and spontaneous visual style; a forerunner to contemporary street and mural art that became popular in the late 1970s. His influences included Matisse, Picasso, and Jean Dubuffet, among others. Appel’s works have sold for up to seven figures at auction and belong in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Museum of Modern Art, the Stedelijk Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum.