COBRA

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 {{link=action painting">action painting ; the human figure was a frequent motif.