The Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck is commemorating Günther Uecker—one of Germany's most important contemporary artists and co-founder of the ZERO movement—with a major retrospective. The exhibition, which Uecker himself helped to curate, pays tribute to his extraordinary life's work, which spanned radical material art, spiritual depth, and humanistic attitudes.
The exhibition at the Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck is the first since the death of artist Günther Uecker (born 1930 in Wendorf, died 2025 in Düsseldorf) and the last in which he himself was involved. It pays tribute to the internationally renowned artist who made art history with his iconic nail pictures and reliefs and revolutionized post-war art as a formative figure in the ZERO artist group.
Uecker had close ties to the Rolandseck Artists' Station: his nail reliefBett zum Aufwachen (Bedfor Waking Up, 1965) is still part of the museum's collection today. The performative filmDie Treppe(TheStaircase, 1964) shows Uecker conquering the station forecourt and building nail by nail. A total of 45 works from seven decades are on display—from early nail objects and kinetic installations to late series that reflect Uecker's spiritual attitude and humanistic worldview. The focus is on works dedicated to the vulnerability of the world—an expression of a life's work that reflects peace, empathy, and human responsibility.
February 8 to June 14, 2026
