Karel Appel: Paris / New York
Max Hetzler Gallery – January 20 to February 26, 2022 London (UK)
The Max Hetzler Gallery, London is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of Karel Appel (1921-2006). Paris/New York, which explores two principles of the artist’s practice that emerge from his early years spent in the two cities: The nude figure and the action Painting. This exhibition traces Appel’s exploration of the nude from the 1950s to the 2000s. In parallel, a monumental painting produced for Documenta III (1964) will be presented for the first time since, alongside other works from this period. This will be the first exhibition dedicated to Appel in the UK for almost four decades and the inaugural exhibition of our expanded gallery space at 41 Dover Street in London.
Cobra.
A founding figure of CoBrA (1948-1951), Karel Appel began her career after the Second World War. Over six decades, the artist experimented extensively. Distinguished by its astonishing capacity for innovation. Appel has never settled on a signature style, medium or subject. Beyond his classic academic training at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. The artist is interested in popular art, children’s art and art brut. While drawing inspiration from the spirit of jazz improvisation. Alternating between abstraction and figuration, Appel adopts a material-oriented approach and advocates freedom of expression.
Paris 1950.
“When Karel Appel moved to Paris in 1950, the city was still considered the international capital of the avant-garde. Despite competing claims from New York. While living in Paris, Appel met international collectors. Art dealers and curators, who will play a decisive role in its breakthrough. He was also one of the few Parisian artists to achieve early success in the up-and-coming art capital. He held his first personal exhibition at the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York in 1954. And on the occasion of his second, in 1957, he crossed the Atlantic for the first time. From then on, he will divide his time between the two camps.
Max Hetzler Gallery → 41 Dover Street London, UK W1S 4N
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