Bataille

This work is registered in the Archive of the Karel Appel Foundation.

'I don't paint, I hit' (Karel Appel, 1958, as cited in the movie: 'De werkelijkheid van Karel Appel', quoted by J. Vrijman in De Tweede Helft, A. de Visser, Nijmegen 1998)

At the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s Karel Appel had come to a free style, much more theatrical and espressionistic than his CoBrA works and the works he made later on in the 1960s. 'I paint from the matter, because the matter appears to have as much possibilities as the mind, if not even more. It is an unpredictable energy which can be transformed by contradictions and mingling. It is possible to make the presentation representable but also un-presentable'. (K. Appel quoted in A. Frankenstein, Karel Appel, Amsterdam 1980, p. 60)

Bataille was once owned by Lars Ulrich, founding member, songwriter and drummer of one of the most famous rock bands in the world: Metallica. Ulrich does not fit the mould of the clichéd rock star. On stage with his band, he may give the impression of a wild personality, but in private, Lars shows a great sensitivity and seriousness of spirit, sharp intelligence and deep passion. He has an exceptional eye for quality. In 2002 part of his collection was sold at Christie's in London, New York and Amsterdam. Collectors recognized the quality of the collection. This led to spectacular results, achieving record prices for amongst others Karel Appel. The present lot was part of these successful sales.

'My tube is like a rocket which describes its own space. What is happening I cannot foresee: Painting, like passion, is an emotion full of truth and sings the living sound like the roar from the lions's chest'. (Karel Appel, quoted in ibid, p. 52)