Stolen art found in British warehouse

Over 400 pieces of the Dutch artist Karel Appel's work has been discovered by a storage firm.

Artwork by a celebrated 20th-century expressionist Karel Appel have been found in a British warehouse a decade after they were stolen.

Appel who died at 85 years of age in 2006 reportedly never recovered from the theft of a lifetime's worth of his drawings and sketches. Famous for his thickly-painted depictions of bright coloured misshapen animals and humans, the painter was recognised as a leading member of the avant garde Cobra group.

When the warehouse was bought by a UK storage and logistics company before Christmas, staff were surprised to find eight boxes filled with the art. Upon researching the name, they realised the works were of value and took them to a local auctioneer Bonham's who contacted the Art Loss Register.

Many of the stolen drawings were said to be experimental ideas for work that Appel never realised. The collection was stolen in 2002 while being transported from his studio to the Karel Appel Foundation in Amsterdam.

Christopher Marinello, ALR's lawyer and chief negotiator, praised Bonhams for behaving responsibly. 'After five weeks of intense negotiation with the logistics company a settlement was finally reached with the company agreeing to release their claim to the artwork,' said Marinello.

Appel's widow, Harriet, identified the works as her late husband's. 'I am extremely happy that the Karel Appel Foundation have recovered the lost drawings and am impressed by the successful and professional way in which this case was handled by the ALR,' she said.

The Appel foundation are thrilled the missing drawings will now create 'a more correct and complete' catalogue of the artist's work.

It is said logistics companies often store and move valuable art every year, but fail to check with the ALR. The logistics company declined to be identified or contacted.

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