Günther UeckerNotations

Featuring both the nail paintings for which Günther Uecker (born 1930) is best known, plus watercolors made during his many travels, Notations provides an unusual dual-take on the German sculptor, op artist and installation artist. Made in collaboration with Uecker, the publication includes poems that Uecker wrote during his journeys, and excerpts from a day-long conversation and studio visit with Uecker by Hans Ulrich Obrist.

To create his signature nail paintings, Uecker works a mixture of white paint and carpenter’s glue into a dense, visceral surface, then hammers nails into the panels, varying their placement and groupings intuitively to form undulating painted reliefs that cast shadows in constant motion.

Uecker’s watercolors reveal a wholly different aspect of the artist’s oeuvre. These watercolors are made spontaneously on the road, during travels across Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Israel, Japan, the United States and Vietnam.