Co­bra. Dream, ga­me, rea­li­ty

On November 8, 1948, the artists Asger Jorn (Denmark), Christian Dotremont and Joseph Noiret (Belgium) and Karel Appel, Constant and Corneille (Netherlands) met in Paris. This meeting led directly to the merger of the first international artist group after the Second World War. Marked by the atrocities of war, which unmistakably revealed violence and inhumanity, COBRA was a departure of young artists who saw themselves as an international community and acted with the belief in a better future. COBRA organized itself as an "open" movement from 1948 to 1951. There was never an official statement about the group's dissolution. COBRA does not stand for a uniform style, but rather embodies a common attitude based on community, participation, openness and freedom; Values that seem more relevant than ever in view of the current war in Europe and the massive right-wing pressure. Their goal was nothing less than to revolutionize art and society. They propagated a playful, experimental art that was free, spontaneous, and universal and, with their collaborative works and interest in all human forms of expression outside the established art canon, they opposed hierarchies and the cult of genius. In total, around 60 artists took part in the adventure - some more decisive, some only on the periphery. In addition to Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, there was contact with artists in Germany, England, France, Iceland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. With works from the Selinka Collection at the Ravensburg Art Museum and numerous loans, works by over 30 artists from the core period and beyond were brought together.