Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He began painting at age fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. In 1948, he co-founded the CoBrA group, a short-lived but influential avant-garde movement that emphasized spontaneous, childlike expression.

Appel's work is characterized by thick impasto, vivid colors, and raw, figurative forms. Although primarily a painter, he also produced sculptures and poetry. His works are held in major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In 2026, Appel's 1957 painting Beach Life—painted on Long Island after a visit to Jackson Pollock's studio—was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting ongoing institutional interest in his post-war output.