About Karel Appel

Karel Appel was a very diverse artist, mainly known for his colorful paintings and sculptures.

Christiaan Karel Appel was born on April 25th, 1921 in Amsterdam. He was the son of Jan Appel, a barber, and Johanna Chevalier and had 3 brothers.

At the age of 14, he created his first painting, a still life of a basket of fruit. On his 15th birthday, his uncle Karel Chevalier, who was an amateur painter himself, gave Karel a paint set and an easel. He also gave him some painting lessons.

Karel attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Amsterdam, from 1942-1944. He was very much influenced by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Jean Dubuffet.

Due to some controversy about his work in the Netherlands, Karel moved to Paris in 1950, where he traveled a lot all over the world and lived between New York and Florence, Paris.

Karel Appel suffered from a heart condition. He died on May 3td 2006 in his home in Zurich, Switserland, and was buried on May 16, 2006 in Paris, France.

Paintings and pictures Copyright © Karel Appel Foundation.

See also:
Karel Appel's Work
Karel Appel's Economical Impact