Influential German 'nail artist' Günther Uecker dies aged 95

Published on 11/06/2025 - 14:12 GMT+2

Günther Uecker, 1 of nan astir iconic and influential figures successful post-war German art, has died astatine nan property of 95.

He was known astir nan world for his hypnotic nail reliefs - bonzer textured surfaces created by hammering thousands of carpenter’s nails into mundane objects for illustration chairs, pianos, character trunks, sewing machines, and canvases.

His family confirmed he died astatine nan assemblage infirmary successful his hometown of Düsseldorf successful occidental Germany connected Tuesday night. They did not springiness a origin of death.

Born successful 1930 successful nan mini Baltic colony of Wendorf, nan boy of a farmer, Uecker roseate to world fame from humble beginnings. After relocating to Düsseldorf successful nan 1950s, he studied and later taught astatine nan city’s revered creation academy. He soon became portion of nan ZERO group, a extremist post-war corporate focused connected light, movement, and purity successful art.

In 1956, inspired by Russian revolutionary writer Vladimir Mayakovsky’s belief that “poetry is made pinch a hammer,” Uecker began hammering nails into canvases, chairs, and spinning disks. His early kinetic pieces created clattering soundscapes and optical effects that blurred nan statement betwixt painting, sculpture, and performance.

Uecker erstwhile rode a camel done nan hallowed halls of nan Düsseldorf Academy successful a surreal 1978 creation intervention, and successful 1968, alongside chap creator Gerhard Richter, famously "occupied" nan Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, their protestation culminating successful a buss successful beforehand of nan press.

But beneath nan playfulness ran a heavy civilized current. Uecker traveled nan world pinch messages of peace, often creating useful successful countries nether dictatorship aliases censorship. After nan Chernobyl disaster, he painted utilizing ash. He exhibited banners base messages of quality authorities successful Beijing, and successful a haunting series, painted words of unit -Verletzungswörter - successful languages from astir nan globe.

Despite world fame (his useful now bid complete €1 cardinal and look astatine apical galleries and fairs), Uecker retained an anti-establishment spirit. “Don’t subordinate nan establishment,” he told Apollo mag successful a precocious interview.

In caller years, renewed world liking successful nan ZERO group, including a awesome retrospective astatine nan Guggenheim Museum successful 2014, brought his activity to caller audiences.