The COBRA group (COpenhagen-BRussels-Amsterdam) was a loose association of artists formed when six Danish, Dutch, and Belgian writers and artists signed a manifesto in Paris in November 1948. A prime mover was Christian Dotremont (1922-1979) and COBRA members in Brussels met at his residence at rue de la Paille 10. The group was formed in reaction to surrealism, and artists associated with the movement were noted for their creation of primitive art and their stress on strong shapes, bold colors, total spontaneity, and lack of contrast in their paintings. The painter Pierre Alechinsky (1927- ) from Brussels was identified with the group. The movement folded when Dotremont and Danish founder Asger Jorn contracted tuberculosis in 1951.
Historical Dictionary of Brussels. Paul F. State.