Karel Appel (1921-2006)

Raw vitality, uncontainable exuberance and spirited resistance to the accepted modes of art-making characterise the work of Karel Appel. A founding member of the Cobra movement – defined by the geographical loci of Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam – Appel, alongside peers as such as Asger Jorn and Pierre Alechinsky, drew on the powerful, hopeful energy which permeated the newly-liberated European continent. In Two Young Girls, form and colour, finally free, erupt and clash in a riot of semi-figural, symbolic forms. Swathes of vibrant pigments swirl in joyous chaos as Appel strives to capture that most elusive and authentic act: creating freely and spontaneously.