Galerie Max Hetzler Announces Karel Appel Painting Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
On June 3, 2026, Galerie Max Hetzler announced that Karel Appel’s painting Beach Life, 1957, has entered the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work was painted on Long Island during Appel's first stay in New York after visiting Jackson Pollock's studio on the invitation of Lee Krasner and moving to a studio arranged by Martha Jackson. Works by Karel Appel, Hans Josephsohn and Rebecca Warren have been unveiled in the new sculpture garden of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, including a bronze by Appel, a 1990 half-figure by Josephsohn and Warren’s 2012 sculpture EuGene.
The Signal
The Met acquisition underscores institutional demand for Appel's New York-period canvases from 1957, a key moment that may influence collector interest in comparable Post-War European works. Placement of multiple gallery artists in the Stedelijk sculpture garden alongside the museum's existing Appel mural signals sustained curatorial focus on these figures within major public collections.
- Artists: Karel Appel, Hans Josephsohn, Rebecca Warren
- People: Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock, Martha Jackson
- Galleries: Galerie Max Hetzler
- Museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum
- Locations: New York, Amsterdam
Get stories like this in your inbox
The art world in one daily email — auctions, openings, and acquisitions from 90+ primary sources, distilled into a five-minute read.
No spam · 7am daily · unsubscribe anytime
