Karel Appel

Dutch, 1921-2006

Smiling Cat from the portfolio Cats

© Karel Appel Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

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© Karel Appel Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

Smiling Cat from the portfolio Cats, 1978

Artwork Details

Materials

color lithograph on Arches paper

Edition:

115/125

Measurements

sheet: 24 5/8 x 32 1/4 inches (62.55 x 81.91 cm)

Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Credit

Gift of C. Stanley Waggoner, M.D., 1979

Accession ID

P1979:28.5

Karel Appel was a founding member of CoBrA, a group of European avant-garde artists who, in the wake of World War II (1939–45), rejected the formal aspects of traditional artmaking. They instead embraced the raw energy of child-like imagery, vivid colors, and expressive brushstrokes. The group’s name is a combination of the first letters of the members’ cities of residence: Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Although CoBrA was only officially active from 1948 to 1951, Appel’s interest in many of these traits continued throughout his career. He admired the domestic house cat for its aloof, yet instinctive, demeanor, and it became one of his favorite subjects. The portfolio Cats is a visual meditation on the animals’ behavior in which the artist depicts them resting, walking, stalking, frightened, and poised to attack.

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017

Other Works by This Artist