ZERO Group
The zero hour of post-war art - works by Piene, Uecker and Mack.
The works of Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker - the founders and most prominent representatives of the artist group ZERO - are currently experiencing a renaissance in the art market.
"Especially US collectors want to bridge the gap between Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism as well as Op Art with Mack and Piene," wrote the German art magazine “art - Das Kunstmagazin,” recognising a "newly awakened appreciation" of the artists and rapidly rising prices for their works; the German newspaper “Handelsblatt” even spoke of a "price explosion".
In their Düsseldorf studio in 1957, Heinz Mack and Otto Piene proclaimed the zero hour of post-war art and called for emancipation from classical genres and traditional art principles. Günther Uecker joined them shortly afterwards, and together they founded the artist group ZERO in 1958.
The artists, whose works range from painting to sculpture to happening-like actions, were united in their efforts to develop a new artistic form concept in which light and movement are the central elements.
They received essential impulses from Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana, and Jean Tinguely, who themselves participated in exhibitions and activities of ZERO.