Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Karel Appel
Karel Appel, Miss World First Class Pretty, Lithograph Signed 85/100 1 Cent Life

1964

$2,800
£2,150.28
€2,464.19
CA$3,941.71
A$4,415.58
CHF 2,300.92
MX$53,861.02
NOK 29,239.44
SEK 27,570.71
DKK 18,392.07

About the Item

Karel Appel Miss World First Class Pretty (Deluxe hand signed edition of the 1 Cent Life Portfolio, from the estate of artist Robert Indiana), 1964 Lithograph splayed across two sheets on wove paper (Hand signed by Karel Appel) Pencil signed on the lower right front; numbered 85/100 on the portfolio colophon Frame included Floated and framed in a museum quality wood frame with UV plexiglass., bearing the colophon with the edition number page on the back Measurements: Frame: 20.25 x 27 x 1.25 inches Print: 16 x 23 inches This lithograph was part of the complete portfolio acquired from the estate of Pop Artist Robert Indiana, who also contributed a work to the portfolio. Documented prints from the hand signed edition of 100 rarely appear on the market. This is one of them. The work is pencil signed by Karel Appel on the front and all of the prints are unnumbered, as the complete portfolio is numbered on the colophon page - a copy of which is included for provenance. (There was also an unsigned edition of 2000) Chinese American artist and writer Walasse Ting, in collaboration with Sam Francis, assembled a group of the most significant Pop and Abstract Expressionist artists in America, including Andy Warhol, along with the European COBRA artists to create the definitive artistic portfolio of lithographs with accompanying text by Walasse Ting. The Deluxe edition, which features hand signed prints, was published in a limited edition of only 100. This is one of them. Of the 100, editions numbered 60-100, or 40 portfolios, were reserved exclusively for Artists & Collaborators. This hand signed Karel Appel lithograph is from the portfolio numbered 85 (Artists & Collaborators), which was acquired from the Estate and Collection of Robert Indiana, another one of the artists who contributed to the 1 Cent Life portfolio. It is elegantly floated and framed in a museum frame with UV plexiglass with Optium museum plexiglass. Signed examples of this portfolio with such fine provenance rarely appear on the marketplace. This is a true collectors item, from the most influential era in Pop Art history. Published by E.W. Kornfeld, Germany, Written by Walasse Ting, Edited by Sam Francis Provenance: Acquired from original, complete 1 Cent Life Portfolio, # 85/100 (Artists & Collaborators) from the Estate and Collection of Robert Indiana More about the Signed (Deluxe) Edition of 1 Cent Life portfolio: In 1962, the Chinese-American artist Walasse Ting shared his dream project with painter Sam Francis: to create an anthology of his poetry illustrated by leading artists of their time. Over the next two years, Ting and Francis recruited leading Abstract Expressionists and Pop artists—Andy Warhol, Joan Mitchell, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Indiana, James Rosenquist, Mel Ramos, Claes Oldenburg and Roy Lichtenstein, among them, along with the European COBRA artists, like Asger Jorn, Karel Appel and Pierre Alechinsky —to create prints for their collaborative publication, which they playfully titled 1¢ Life. Published in 1964 by E. W. Kornfeld in Switzerland in an edition of 2,000 books, 1¢ Life features 62 color lithographs by a total of 28 iconic artists, including colorful lips by Warhol, abstract splatters by Mitchell, and cartoon girls by Lichtenstein. The accompanying many of these Pop Art prints are the poems of Walasse Ting - racy and avant garde for the early 1960s. The lithography was executed by Maurice Beaudet, of Paris. Complete examples of 1¢ Life can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and many other public and private institutions around the globe. Today, 1 Cent Life is considered one of the best artist's books ever created- coming out of one of the most influential decades in modern art. Apart from the familiar regular edition of 2000, only 100 of these lithographic portfolios were hand signed by the artists (the Robert Indiana being stamped with his official stamp), and of those only 40 were reserved for Artists and Collaborators, numbered 60 through 100. (The present work, being # 85/100) Most lithographs are printed on two separate pages. This famed portfolio was produced and assembled by Chinese-American-European artist Walasse Ting in conjunction with American artist Sam Francis, Swiss publisher E.W. Kornfeld, and French printer Maurice Beaudet - a truly global endeavor. The portfolio, featuring some of the most recognizable lithographs of the era, was the result of an unprecedented, ambitious international collaboration between American Pop Artists of the Sixties and the European COBRA artists. About Karel Appel: Qualifying Karel Appel (b.1921, Amsterdam- d.2006, Zurich) as one of the internationally best renowned Dutch artists of the 20th century may be misleading, as he left the Netherlands already in 1950 for good to realize his long career predominantly between Paris and New York. In this perspective, he may be considered as truly international, not belonging to one particular country in the first place. Appel was one of the founders of CoBrA. Then Michel Tapié, whom he had met in Paris through Hugo Claus, featured him in his Art Autre exhibition. Tapié, then, introduced him to Martha Jackson, who, starting with an exhibition in 1954 would become his New York gallery for almost twenty years. Also, Willem Sandberg, the then director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, was an early supporter: He sent his friend, James Johnson Sweeney, director of the Guggenheim Museum on visit in Paris, to Appel’s studio in the Rue de Santeuil. All this made Karel Appel in his early 30ies already a name in the international avant-garde of the 1950ies. His expressionist and intuitive approach to painting was fitting perfectly well within this context. However, as abstraction had almost become an orthodoxy, his painting style, not being entirely abstract, set him apart. The primordial example for the intermediate position between abstraction and figuration was of course provided by Picasso. Appel appropriated this in his own, very peculiar manner, oscillating between both, and became in turn a reference for younger artists, who opposed abstraction but wouldn’t return to figuration for that matter. Appel once said that, while Amsterdam had been the city of his youth, Paris was the city of his development – what he had learned in Paris was crucial. So, it would seem only natural, that after a long and entirely international career, he is buried at Père-Lachaise in Paris. However, in the course of the globalization of art, this very peculiar role of its historical capital for Appels oeuvre had fallen somewhat in oblivion, but in recent years, several important exhibitions in Paris, The Hague and Washington have contributed to rectify the record. - Courtesy of Almine Rech
  • Creator:
    Karel Appel (1921 - 2006, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    1964
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.25 in (51.44 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1745213341582

More From This Seller

View All
Karel Appel, Little Boy, color lithograph, hand signed and numbered COBRA artist
By Karel Appel
Located in New York, NY
"Little Boy" - charming 1960s silkscreen rarely seen on the market would look perfect in a child's room - or in any room in the house! Karel Appel Little ...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled Figure signed numbered mixed media print from scarce European portfolio
By George McNeil
Located in New York, NY
George McNeil Untitled Figure, 1986 Lithograph on paper. Publisher's and Printer's Blind Stamps Hand-signed, numbered 78/84 and dated by the artist on the front with publisher's and...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Screen, Pencil

Ron Gorchov Mid Century Modern Abstract Expressionist painting on paper Signed
By Ron Gorchov
Located in New York, NY
Ron Gorchov Untitled early 1960s Abstract Expressionist work, 1962 Ink and watercolor painting on paper Signed and dated in black ink lower left recto Frame included: elegantly floa...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Parade of Women, from Deluxe, Hand Signed, 85/100 1 Cent Life Portfolio, Framed
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in New York, NY
Claes Oldenburg Parade of Women from the Deluxe hand signed edition of 1 Cent Life Portfolio (Acquired from the Estate of Robert Indiana), 1964 Color lithograph on wove paper Published by E.W. Kornfeld, Germany, Written by Walasse Ting, Edited by Sam Francis Hand-signed by Claes Oldenburg on the lower right front; numbered 85/100 on the colophon page a copy of which is affixed to the back of the frame -see photo Frame included: elegantly floated and framed in hand made museum frame with UV plexiglass, and colophon page with unique edition number affixed to the back. (see photos) This hand signed work is from the Deluxe hand signed edition of only 100 - not to be confused from the unsigned edition of 2000. (None of the works from the edition of 2000 were ever signed by Oldenburg.) Hand signed editions are rarely if ever seen on the marketplace. This original lithograph, splayed across two pages, is from the Deluxe edition of the legendary 1 Cent Life Portfolio, one of the most important and celebrated artistic collaborations of the 1960s. Chinese American artist and writer Walasse Ting, in collaboration with Sam Francis, assembled a group of the most significant Pop and Abstract Expressionist artists in America, including Pop Artist Claes Oldenburg, along with the European COBRA artists to create the definitive artistic portfolio, with text by Walasse Ting. The Deluxe edition, which features hand signed prints was published in a limited edition of only 100. This is one of them. Of the 100, editions numbered 60-100, or 40 portfolios, were reserved exclusively for Artists & Collaborators. This hand signed Claes Oldenburg lithograph...
Category

1960s Pop Art Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Me + Paul We Are the Trolls, famous signed monoprint from Douglas Cramer estate
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin Me + Paul We Are the Trolls, 1995 Monoprint on paper Signed, titled and dated in graphite pencil on the front Unique Frame included: bears original label from Jay Jopling, the founder of White Cube Gallery, Emin's longtime gallery Measurements: Framed (original vintage frame included) 15.5 inches vertical by 20.5 by .75 inches Work 11.5 inches vertical by 16.5 inches horizontal Provenance: The Collection of Douglas S. Cramer, USA Hubert S. Bush Collection USA (with label) Jay Jopling, London (with label) - Jay Jopling is the legendary founder of White Cube Gallery This early (1995) monoprint is part of Tracey Emin's "troll" series, depicting her younger self and her (now estranged) twin brother Paul as children with sometimes murderous thoughts. It was acquired from the collection of Douglas Cramer, (August 22, 1931 – June 4, 2021) a top American television producer who worked for Paramount Television and Spelling Television, producing series such as Mission: Impossible, The Brady Bunch, and Dynasty - who amassed one of the most distinguished collections of contemporary art in the United States. A 2011 Daily Mail article entitled "If you Think Tracey Emin is Wild, say Hello to her Terrible Twin" describes a different monotype, also from the troll series, that Tracey gave to her brother Paul, which he promptly and publicly sold on a TV show, much to her chagrin. The article reads: "Yet there is one person central to Tracey's life who has managed to stay largely shielded from the public eye: her twin brother Paul.. He leads a life that could hardly be more different to Tracey's. She is worth millions, is a household name, owns an estate in the South of France and has A-list friends such as Kate Moss, Orlando...
Category

1990s Contemporary Abstract Prints

Materials

Monotype, Monoprint

Sam Francis, Abstract Expressionist lithograph, signed/N from Wolf Kahn Estate
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
SAM FRANCIS Affiche Moderna Museet Stockholm (Catalogue Raisonne Lembark-16, p.66), 1960 Color lithograph on Rives BFK Paper with deckled edges Pencil signed lower right of center; n...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

You May Also Like

WITH MY BIRD Signed Lithograph, Figurative Abstract, Dutch Expressionist artist
By Karel Appel
Located in Union City, NJ
WITH MY BIRD is a rarely seen original limited edition lithograph by the Dutch artist Karel Appel printed using hand lithography techniques on archival printmaking paper, 100% acid f...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Karel Appel
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1964 and published by Eberhard Kornfeld for the 1 Cent Life portfolio in an edition of 2000. Size: 16 1/4 x 11 3/8 inches (408 x 290 mm). Ther...
Category

1960s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Karel Appel
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1964 and published by Eberhard Kornfeld for the 1 Cent Life portfolio in an edition of 2000. Size: 16 1/4 x 11 3/8 inches (408 x 288 mm). Ther...
Category

1960s Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph

MULTI PERSONAGE Signed Lithograph, Abstract Collage Portrait, CoBrA Artist
By Karel Appel
Located in Union City, NJ
MULTI PERSONAGE is an original limited edition lithograph by the Dutch artist Karel Appel, printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches paper, 100% acid free. MULTI PERSONAGE is a lively abstract color collage portrait expressed in vibrant shades of red, blue, pink, green, purple, yellow with hints of multi color pastel tones and white creating an abstracted body and face. Bold black paint strokes define the face with its zany black eyes, head, body and limbs; collage effect torn paper bits fill in the body form. MULTI PERSONAGE is a very unique, fantastically playful and wild composition by Karel Appel, one of the founders of the avant-garde art movement CoBrA active during the late 1940's thru early 1950's. His paintings are known for incorporating applications of vibrant, violent colors often possessing a primal, childlike quality. Print size - 30 x 20 inches, unframed, excellent condition, pencil signed by Karel Appel Edition size - 175 Year published - 1980 Printer - JK Fine Art Editions Co., NY Karel Appel was one of the founders of the avant-garde art movement CoBrA, active during the late 1940's thru early 1950's. His paintings are known for incorporating applications of vibrant, violent colors often possessing a primal, childlike quality. Karel Appel, (born April 25, 1921, Amsterdam, Netherlands—died May 3, 2006, Zürich, Switzerland), Dutch painter of turbulent, colorful, and semi-abstract compositions, who was a co-founder (1948) of the CoBRA group of northern European Expressionists. He was also a noted sculptor and graphic artist. Appel attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Amsterdam (1940–43), and helped found the “Reflex” group, which became known as CoBRA (for Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam), in 1948. He moved to Paris in 1950 and by the 1960s had settled in New York City; he later lived in Italy and Switzerland. Partly in reaction against what they perceived as the sterile academicism of the de Stijl movement, the CoBRA artists...
Category

1980s Expressionist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Tantrika - Lithograph by Karel Appel - 1985
By Karel Appel
Located in Roma, IT
Tantrika is an original Contemporary Artwork realized by Karel Appel (Amsterdam, 1921 – Zurich, 2006) in 1985 Hand signed in pencil on the lower right margin in pencil: Appel. Num...
Category

1980s Contemporary Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Karel Appel Abstract Original Color Lithograph, 1969
By Karel Appel
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Original Abstract Color lithograph by Dutch artist Karel Appel (1921-2006). Created 1969. Edition size is 53 of 200. The work is signed in pencil lower right. The image size is: 25 5...
Category

1960s Abstract Prints

Materials

Paper