Günther Uecker

born in 1930 in Wendorf, is arguably among the most important contemporary German artists. Uecker obtained his art education at several schools, firstly at the College of Applied Arts in Wismar, then at the academy in Berlin Weißensee and the Academy of Fine Arts in Düsseldorf, where he studied under Otto Pankok (1955-7) and where he later also taught (1974-95). The critical moment came at the turn of 1950s and 1960s. Around this time, Uecker developed some of the ideas that would later define his art. In 1957, he for the first time incorporated nails into his pieces, contributing to the modernist discussion on the essence of media and their purity. Shortly after, Uecker began his collaboration with Otto Piene and Heinz Mack. Its first result was the exhibition “Das rote Bild” (1958) in Düsseldorf, and later, from 1961 to 1966, they worked together as the Group ZERO. Particularly focusing on the questions of kinetics, space, light and illusion, some of their most well-known projects include “Salon de Lumiere” (1962), displayed in Paris, Frankfurt, Krefeld and at the Documenta III in Kassel (1964). During the ZERO period, Uecker began using his signature material nails for installations, while at the same time continuing the exploration of the avant-garde ideas of suprematism or unism. His attitude “My objects constitute a spatial reality, a zone of light. I use the means of technology to overcome the personal gesture, to objectify, to create the conditions for freedom” is clearly visible in his land art pieces or “Fields in Movement” series (1964). Uecker is critically acclaimed and his works were extensively exhibited throughout his career – some of his most notable appearances include the Documenta (1964, 1968, 1977), biennales in Venice (1969) and Sydney (1979). In 2015, his works are on view at the big survey show “ZERO: The international art movement of the 50s and 60s” at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, previously displayed at the Guggenheim in New York.