Cobra

Founded on November 8th, 1948 at the Hôtel de Notre Dame in Paris, Cobra was an international alliance of  avantgarde artist groups from Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, taking its name from the acronym of the capital cities of Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.  In Paris founding members Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille, Christian Dotremont, Joseph Noiret, and Asger Jorn signed La cause était entendue (The case was decided), their manifesto which was first published in Reflex #1 (1948), the periodical of the Experimental Group in Holland, set up by the Dutch Cobra-artists some months earlier.

In the wake of hardship and oppression endured during the Second World War, Cobra advocated total freedom of artistic expression, unobstructed by academic or esthetic conventions such as composition and beauty. Spontaneity, imagination, and above all experimentation were considered core principles of the movement, resulting  in expressively painted and brightly coloured works on canvas, sculptures made from junk materials, poetry without rhyme schemes, and so-called ‘word-paintings’. The artists drew inspiration from art forms that existed outside the realm of academic tradition, such as children’s drawings, folk art, and outsider art.

As a movement Cobra was short-lived, for after the Second International Cobra Exhibition in Liège it was disbanded. Although initially it was not well received by members of the public, since then the movement has proven itself to be an important steppingstone in the careers of many celebrated artists. Although most did not acquire international fame until after the movements demise, Cobra’s convictions remained present in the distinct visual style of many of its most celebrated former members.