Karel Appel was born on 25 April 1921 in Amsterdam where he also studied fine arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1948, together with Corneille, Constant and Jan Nieuwenhuys, he founded Reflex an experimental group of artists named after the magazine they published. Reflex became part of the international CoBrA (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam) movement founded in Paris 8th November 1948. CoBrA became known for the spontaneous expressionistic style that characterized the paintings rendered by its members. Appel is considered one of the initiators of CoBrA, which brought international recognition to a number of its members, such as Asger Jorn, Egill Jacobsen, Corneille and Pierre Alechinsky.
His works are exhibited in all major museums of modern art in the world.