Karel Appel's Tuscan Works at Galleria Poggiali in Florence

Galleria Poggiali in Florence presents 'Toscana', a major exhibition of Karel Appel's works created during his stays at Villa Licia near Mercatale Val di Pisa between 1988 and 2000. Curated by Helmut Friedel, the show spans over thirty paintings on canvas, works on paper, and sculptures across two gallery spaces. The CoBrA founder's encounter with the Tuscan landscape produced series such as 'Nature' (1994), 'Horizon of Tuscany' (1995), 'Birth of a Landscape' (1996), and 'Figures in Landscape' (1991), alongside works like 'Walking Figure in Landscape no. 1 and no. 3' (1990) and 'Running through a Landscape' (1990). Notable pieces include 'Eternal Space of Being no. 7' (1990) and 'Relief no. 3' (1994), an assemblage of wood and found objects painted in oil. Appel stated, 'Man and nature are one. The tree and man himself are one. If we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. From this... came the idea of painting nature, the landscape, as if it were a face.' The exhibition is described as museum-quality in both scope and selection.