UB Anderson Gallery to present "Karel Appel: The Color of Chaos"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "Karel Appel: The Color of Chaos," an exhibition of graphic work from the University at Buffalo collection, will open with a reception from 6-8 p.m. on April 20 in the first floor gallery of the UB Anderson Gallery.

UB Anderson Gallery, located at One Martha Jackson Place near Englewood and Kenmore, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, will be on view through June 25.

A vibrant and colorful character himself, the expressionistic quality of Karel Appel's lithographs and prints denote an enthusiasm for exploring subconscious stimuli. "Karel Appel: The Color of Chaos" demonstrates Appel's provoking study of the left-brain forces of creativity and their repression by the rationality of the right brain. His style has been described as "childlike," communicating a spontaneous approach as an attribute of children.

Appel's own psyche is shaped by myriad sources of inspiration. He was born in Amsterdam in 1921, where Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Jean Dubuffet were among his first influences. Disillusioned with society after the World War II and wanting to move away from Western art practices, Appel was a founding member of the CoBrA movement whose controversial idealism is evident throughout his work.

In 1950, the artist moved to Paris where he discovered a love for the dynamism of city life and where he received the UNESCO Prize at the Venice Biennale of 1954, preceded by various exhibitions of his work. It was here that he also met his long time friend, art dealer and collector, Martha Jackson. Jackson was the mother of David Anderson, the UB benefactor who assembled the collection of prints shown in this exhibition.

Appel's fascination with cities drew him to the activity and havoc of New York City three years later, where he became immersed in the Jazz movement of the 1960s and was soon friendly with the likes of Miles Davies and Dizzy Gilespie. The artist attributes much of the energy of his own work to the inspiration he derives from the music.

          Appel's work can be found in numerous private and public collections including: Tate Gallery, London, UK; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Guggenheim Museum, New York City; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland; Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium; Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam, and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.

          Karel Appel: The Color of Chaos, will be accompanied by a brochure with an essay by Museum Studies Intern, Brooke Fitzpatrick.

UB Anderson Gallery is supported with funds from the Office of the Provost, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Anderson Gallery Program Fund and the UB Collection Care and Management Endowment Fund.