THE HAGUE.- Around the world, Karel Appel is one of the most famous Dutch artists of the entire twentieth century. Next year (2016) marks the tenth anniversary of his death: a good time to take a fresh look at an oeuvre that is often associated chiefly with CoBrA and the 1950s, although it actually encompassed a period of over sixty years. This major retrospective at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag casts light on Appel’s work from a number of different angles. The exhibition is a pivotal part of a wider international reappraisal of Karel Appel’s work, which will also include exhibitions in Paris, Munich and Washington.

People tend to be most familiar with Karel Appel’s Cobra period paintings, with their bright colours, heavy outlines and ostensibly simple style. And Appel is regarded – together with Corneille and Constant – as the figure-head of the avant-garde Cobra movement. But, throughout his career, Appel consistently trod his own path. He experimented, pushed the envelope, and continued to innovate until late in life. His style and media changed frequently, ranging from his playful and childlike early paintings to the later sculptures, which combine painting with found objects. Another distinctive aspect of Karel Appel’s artistic practice was his habit, from an early date, of collaborating with artists in other disciplines (such as poets, musicians and choreographers).

Jan Vrijman’s well-known documentary film of 1961 portrays Karel Appel as a wild man of the art world, sweating and growling as he did battle with the canvas. Appel smears and flings paint onto the canvas in an apparently spontaneous and instinctive manner. He seems to manipulate the public by deliberately acting out the cliché of the wild, romantic artist. However, Appel’s notorious claim that he was ‘just messing around’ was taken too literally, provoking much indignation in the Netherlands. True, Appel’s approach was expressive and spontaneous, but he was more painstaking than he let on. He selected his paint and equipment with care, made preparatory sketches and drew inspiration from art history. He studied the work of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso and Mondrian in some depth and his paintings are carefully considered compositions.

From the moment Appel moved to Paris in 1950, he began to win major prizes, his work was featured at Biennales and he received important commissions. But, despite his worldwide fame, his relationship with the Netherlands was never easy. The Dutch elite turned their backs on him, whereas the general public adored him for his spontaneity and straightforwardness. In the art world, his work was appreciated and promoted by only a handful of people. These days, it features in a host of major private and public collections around the world.

The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag’s new exhibition of 67 paintings, 12 sculptures and more than 60 drawings demonstrates that Karel Appel (1921-2006) was more than just a member of Cobra and more than his flamboyant personal image. The show will revisit, for example, Appel’s early interest in Outsider Art, his wide-ranging stylistic experiments, and his highly individual – sometimes almost abstract – interpretation of traditional genres like the nude, the portrait and the urban or rural landscape. The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag’s relationship with Karel Appel goes back many years. The museum has held a number of major exhibitions and in 1983 and 2002 the artist donated a large number of drawings to the museum. This retrospective is further evidence of that close relationship.