817 - Karel Appel (1921, Amsterdam – Zurich, 2006)

Karel Appel (1921, Amsterdam – Zurich, 2006) Crowned Owl from: Circus Series. Acrylic on wood. (1978). Approx. 74 x 108 x 25 cm. One of only 8 numbered copies. Signed in the lower section. Visser 78-006. Published by Galerie ABCD, Paris, 1978. Although the artist Karel Appel, co-founder of the “COBRA” artist group, is better known for his paintings, he personally placed great importance on his extensive work as a sculptor. He integrates many different cultural influences into his work—impressions he gathered, among other places, during his travels in Asia and South America. As he grew older, he also began to explore the themes of death, the afterlife, and their inseparability from life. Nevertheless, he remains true to the vibrant use of color and assemblage technique characteristic of his early work. In the late 1970s, he created a series of works dedicated to the circus and its creatures, to which this sculpture belongs. He titled this work “Crowned Owl” and emphasized its bird-like features by depicting it with wide-open eyes and an impressive wingspan. His sculptures, according to Donald Kuspit, “look crazy, apocalyptic, and chaotic, but (...) are full of a deep understanding of life, even if they treat it as a kind of joke.” Provenance: Private collection, Massachusetts, USA. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).