Karel Appel graphics in a Digital pamphlet

On his 65th birthday, April 25, 1986, the famous Dutch painter Karel Appel was invited by Digital to show 'how the many possibilities of a VAX-computer can inspire an artist'. Appel created a number of pictures, three of which were reproduced in the pamphlet in our collection.

Appel used a MicroVax II computer with GPX, a 4 or 8 bitplane graphics hardware subsystem. The small number (at most 8) of simultaneous colours used was either the artist's decision, or a consequence of the restricted capabilities of the colour printer (presumably a thermal-transfer machine), or both.

In 2001, Karel Appel's 80th birthday was celebrated with a large exhibition of his work in the 'Stedelijk Museum' of Amsterdam. The painter died in 2006.