Cobra

Expressionist group of painters formed in Paris in 1948. The name derives from the first letters of the capitals of their native countries: Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam. The group, which disbanded in 1951, included Karel Appel, Pierre Alechinsky (b. 1927), Jean-Michel Atlan (1913–60), Guillaume Corneille (b. 1922), and Asger Jorn (1914–73). Their work, influenced by poetry, film, folk art, and “primitive” art, featured brilliant colour and spontaneous brushwork akin to action painting; the human figure was a frequent motif.

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