Günther Uecker (b. 1930)

‘When I use nails… my aim is to establish a structured pattern of relationships… in order to set vibrations in motion that disturb and irritate their geometric order. What is important to me is variability, which is capable of revealing the beauty of movement to us.’
(G. Uecker, quoted in Gunther Uecker: Twenty Chapters, Berlin 2006, p. 34).


German Zero artist Günther Uecker started creating his nailed paintings in 1957. For him, the nail-covered surface is a sort of antithesis of the painted surface, as is his dominant preference for the colour white. His use of a monochrome colour and his occupancy with a monotonous material in repetitive exercises, enabled him during his career to develop a fascination for the medium of light. The viewer is, depending on his position and time of day, confronted with a different and unique work every time. This classic Günther Uecker work truly shows this celebrated German artist at his height - as a master of optical manipulation, light and shadow, and frozen movement.