Günther Uecker

Günther Uecker, born in 1930 in Wendorf, Schwerin, is one of the most important German contemporary artists. In his childhood he experienced the Second World War and had to protect his family from Russian soldiers by nailing boards over the windows of his house. These experiences later drastically shaped his artistic work. Best known are his so-called nail paintings, wooden boards hewn with ordinary nails. In 1961 he became a member of the ZERO Group with Heinz Mack and Otto Piene. In particular, the attempt to expand traditional dimensions with the help of serial and kinetic elements played an important role in the work of the ZERO artists and Günther Uecker. Versatile objects are used in his work such as ash, sand, stone, wood and metal. From 1976-1995 he was professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.