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Red, green and blue: Karel Appel's statue at the intersection of Spui, Grote Marktstraat and Kalvermarkt is a stark contrast to the white of Richard Meyer's town hall and library. The wealth of colours is as typical for Appel as the white is for Meyer's architecture. Appel's sculpture is on an extra large oval pedestal and as such forms the focal point of the sculpture gallery.

Appel enjoys national and international renown as an expressive painter. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he created a furore as one of the founders of the Cobra movement. The artists of this movement advocated freedom and experimentation. Spontaneous child drawing was an important source of inspiration for them.
In addition to painting, Appel has always made sculptures from the very beginning. For this he always made use of so-called 'objets trouvés'. From these found objects, he composed new sculptures. The 'objets trouvés' vary from rubbish to masks and from everyday utensils to images of animals. Often these objects originate from the most diverse cultures.

In 2001, the year of Appel's eightieth birthday, the Foundation 750 Years of The Hague donated his 'Frog with Umbrella' to the city council. The original sculpture is made of wood and dates from 1993. For this occasion it was made in bronze in a larger format. After casting, sculptor André Kruysen (1967) 'reshaped' the sculpture, i.e. finished the surface to match the original.
Next P. Struycken (1939) applied the painted colours, also after the original. Sikkens developed extra hard lacquers especially for Appel's sculpture.
Although Appel made dozens of sculptures, only a few can be seen in public space. 'Frog with Umbrella' was one of the first.