
© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

© 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.

















Karel Appel
Dutch, 1921-2006
Cats, 1978
seventeen color lithographs on Arches paper
Edition: 115/125
each (sheet): 24 5/8 x 32 1/4 inches (62.55 x 81.91 cm)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Gift of C. Stanley Waggoner, M.D., 1979
P1979:28.1-17
More Details
Inscriptions
Class
Work Type
Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms
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
Related Artworks
Related Content
Other Works by This Artist
Man met bloem (Man with Flower)
,- Devil Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- House Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Fighting Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Frightened Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Blue Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Innocent Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- About a Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Sunshine Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Walking Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Cat in the Night from the portfolio Cats ,
- Sad Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Smiling Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Green Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Stalking Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Pink Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Luminous Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- Resting Cat from the portfolio Cats ,
- The Cat ,
La Fuite (Flight)
,Personages '70
,- angoisse from the portfolio Personages ,
- important person from the portfolio Personages ,
- cosy face from the portfolio Personages ,
Personage
,- [Man with Fish on Head] ,
Personnages
,Personnage avec Fleur
,- Man and Beast ,
little smile from the portfolio Personages
,what are they waiting for? from the portfolio Personages
,- smile again from the portfolio Personages ,
tenderly from the portfolio Personages
,child and toy from the portfolio Personages
,- Personnage et Fleur (Personage and Flower) ,
No image available,
but we're working on itClose Together
,No image available,
but we're working on itFire World ,