Robert Appel
Major Exhibitions Since he took his degree from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1955, Robert Appel has been included in numerous competitive exhibitions including the Allied Art Association and Audubon Society national shows in New York, the Pennsylvania Academy of Design and the Allentown Museum's national annuals, the Austin Fine Art Association national exhibition which toured 11 Texas cities, the Rutgers University national drawing show and "International '81" at Rockford College in Illinois. His work has also been included in the Chicago and Vicinity exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Union League Club of Chicago exhibitions, "Exhibition Momentum" in Chicago and a collector's show at the Montreal Fine Art Museum.
Honors and Awards Holding over 58 awards, honors include merit awards, honorable mentions or purchase prizes at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas national drawing show, Illinois' Triton College "Idea" show, Chicago's Union League Club's 11th exhibition and at the second Annual Baer Memorial at the Beverly Art Center. Over three years he earned eight awards in a series of shows at the Artists Guild of Chicago. North Park College in Chicago acquired an Appel canvas as the first work in their permanent collection under the Illinois Arts Council's matching grant program.
Juried Exhibitions In recent years, a nice variety of distinguished jurors have selected works by Appel for several area competitive exhibitions: the Union League Club's 12th and 13th exhibitions, the "Black and White" show at Northwestern University, three works were selected for a Line Arts Exhibition at the Artists Guild plus three more in their All Media Show, the third invitational Baer Memorial at the Beverly Art Center, "The Chicago Alternative" at the Paul Waggoner Gallery, the "Games Show" at Columbia College. In '82 a painting was accepted in the "New Horizons" show at Chicago's Cultural Center.
Invitational Exhibitions He was invited to exhibit in a group show at Illinois' Lake County Museum by Joan Robertson, curator of the Kemper Insurance collection. In the same year, Dr. Allen Weller, director emeritus of the Krannert Museum selected an oil for an exhibit of Chicago artists in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. A work was chosen for the inaugural exhibit at the Dellora A. Norris Cultural Center in St. Charles, Illinois where he was subsequently invited to participate in a six person show and was represented by 18 paintings.
One Man Shows Recent one man shows include Chicago's Contemporary Art Workshop and at Chicago's Beverly Art Center. In 1982 he opened a one man show with a talk on color theory and harmony at the Joy Horwich Gallery, his Chicago dealer, as it related to his "New Wrinkles" exhibit which became his solo show at the Alwin Gallery in London in March, 1983, concluding a total of 17 one man shows to date. Galleries He has exhibited in New York at the Madison Gallery and participated in Auction 393. His work was perennially offered at the juried Art Rental and Sales Gallery of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was represented by the Joseph Faulkner’s Main Street gallery for several years.
Collections His work is included in the permanent collections of Standard Oil of Indiana, Container Corporation of America, Borg-Warner Corporation, HMH/ Playboy Publishing, the Kemper Insurance Company, the Northern Trust Bank, the South Shore Bank and the Jupiter Corporation. Some collectors of note are Lenny Bruce, comedian, Alberta Friedlander, art critic, Rick Kogan and Dorothy Gardner, columnists, Robert Ivan Schniedman, theatrical director and Lawrence Pucci, a director of Chicago's Fine Arts Council who has commissioned several works. James Kohler.Jr. and Earl L. Ludgin also own pieces by Appel. His work is included in collections in England, Pakistan and Australia.
