Henk Peeters (1925 – 2013) is vooral bekend geworden als een van de vier leden van de Nederlandse Nul-beweging (samen met Armando, Jan Henderikse en Jan Schoonhoven) en als de internationale woordvoerder en organisator die de Nul-beweging (1960 – 1965) in contact bracht met de internationale kunstenaars overal ter wereld die zich verbonden met de van oorsprong Duitse Zero groep.
Unwavering in his dedication, Peeters tirelessly organized exhibitions in the 1960s that showcased international artists affiliated with the original German Zero group, including Yves Klein (France), Piero Manzoni (Italy), Jayoi Kusama (Japan), and the founding members from Germany. His own work remains highly sought after and is featured in numerous collections and museums. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Peeters was also a long-standing member of the Arnhem art academy.
Günther Uecker, a prominent figure in Düsseldorf’s postwar Group Zero, has dedicated six decades to perfecting his reliefs that feature dynamic arrangements of nails. Born in 1930 in Wendorf, Germany, Uecker pursued his education at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee and Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, where he currently resides and creates. Drawing inspiration from Eastern philosophy and Gregorian chants, Uecker began a ritual of hammering nails in the 1950s. To the artist, these materials symbolize protection and the act of creation; he vividly recalls nailing planks over his home’s windows after the Second World War to deter Soviet troops.
By 1957, Uecker had advanced to hammering nails onto canvas, achieving a captivating “sundial” optical effect that played with light and shadow in ever-changing patterns. As his artistic vision evolved, he incorporated lightboxes, rotating discs, television sets, and even furniture – as seen in his notable nail sculpture, “Stuhl” (1963). In 1961, Uecker teamed up with Heinz Mack and Otto Piene to form the anti-expressionist movement Group Zero, which sought to push the boundaries of traditional canvas dimensions and explore the realms of kinetic, serial, and participatory art. Even after the group dissolved in 1966, Uecker continued to push artistic boundaries, incorporating elements of conceptual and land art into his work and designing stage sets for operas. Notable public works include “From Darkness to Light” at the United Nations in Geneva (1978) and a Reflection and Prayer Room for the Reichstag in Berlin (2000). In 2020, he embarked on his latest series, “Lichtbogen,” featuring minimalist paintings with radiant blue and white arcs.
Uecker’s impressive body of work has been featured in solo exhibitions at prestigious museums worldwide. His work has been the subject of retrospectives at the Central House of Artists in Moscow (1988) and the Kunsthalle München (1993), and he has participated in Documenta (1964, 1968, 1977) and the 1970 Venice Biennale. His art is prominently displayed in collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Museum of Modern Art in New York, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and Museum Ludwig in Cologne.
www.ftn-books.com has many titles related to ZERO and Uecker available.
About 10 years ago we/ I (in the Nethrelands )did not know about BLACK FRIDAY and its discounts, but since that time BLACK FRIDAY discounts have become established over here too.
The problem is that discounts are only given in the 4 days of the BF weekend, but i will change this al little bit.
+ a discount of 10% will be applicable until December 1st, 2024.
At www.ftn-books.com you will receive not only a 10% discount when you order from Friday 24th of November 00.01 hrs until Monday the 27th 23.59 hrs. a minimum of USD 100,– ( excluding postage).
Order over USD 100,– and use BF2310 to receive this immediate discount during the Black Friday weekend
After i have packed and sent your order you will receive a personal discount code by email which will be valid for ALL your purchases at www.ftn-books.com until the 1st of December 2024
This makes your order during the BF weekend much more attractive. Enjoy your shopping at www.ftn-books.com
The importance of Ama Kaag for dutch art is not that great. She deserves to be remembered for her sculptures and Photo journalism, but for me she stands for a “groupie” like admiration for Armando. A few months ago i bought a large colection of Armando signed and dedicated books all signed for Ama Kaag and it appeared that Ama Kaag travelled Europe and the Netehrlands to follow Armando and his eattended his exhibitions all over Europe. Armando signing these and commented that Ama Kaag was always present at the opening. This collection is now for sqale at www.ftn-books.com
Looking for more infor on ZERO/NUL i stumbled upon this nice site . Site is in German and English and one can open and enlarge some very nice ZERO publications. For some real authentic ZERO publications please find what is available at www.ftn-books.com, but for those only wanting a short “fix” this is perfect.
Most art lovers abroad do not know that within a distance of 10km of the Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, another great museum can be found. The museum itself much …much smaller…. but for its collection it deserves to be mentioned beside the Boymans. the STEDELIJK MUSEUM SCHIEDAM has had its collecting focus during the last 30 years on Cobra and The INFORMELEN and Zero art and build a collection which must be visited.
Situated in an old building in the center of Schiedam it is now being renovated to present its Cobra collection in the best way possible. So make a mental note when you are visiting Rotterdam. Take the tram to Schiedam and visit its collection when it opens again after the renovation. The following Stedelijk Museum Schiedam books are available at www.ftn-books.com
The first artists that i thought of when i first saw the works by Jan Hendriks was Klaus Staudt, but also in a distance you can experience some of the influences that Jan Schoonhoven had on art. Stil the works by Hendriks are not to be missed and must be valued on their own appearance and qualities. I like his works very much and noticed on a site when i did somne research on Hendriks that prices are still within reach of most people. The reason of writing this blog is that i recently acquired a small catalogue which shows a totally different aspect of his works.
The HOCHSCHUKLE FÜR GESTALTUNG has become over the years a legendary institution and one of its many well-known students was the Brazilian born Almir Mavignier. He attended the school in 1953 and has become part of art history since.
Friend of Max Bill, witnessing the very early beginnings of the ZERO movement and later becoming one of the most appreciated Poster designers from the 3 decades to follow. He himself was working as a constructivist/minimal artist and that meant he was interested in all artists who were working along the guidelines of the movements. Because of this interest and the resulting friendships, he had a chance to design the posters for many of the artists he met. To name a few….Calderara, Arp, Morellet and Soto….and all of these artists I personally admire very much. This makes the book I now can offer on www.ftn-books.com very special for me personally too. A great publication of the Gewerbe Museum Hamburg in cooperation with the German Poster Museum. Great poster designs by Mavignier. btw. …. the site on Mavignier is well worth visiting and can be found here: https://www.mavignier.com
This can not be coincidence…. On the left there is the NUL exhibition catalogue for the Peeters, Armando, Schoonhoven exhibition and on the right there is the Al Held catalogue from 1966 , designed by Wim Crouwel for the Held exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. The white fond and the strong circle part on the back must have impressed Crouwel, since he used almost exactly the same layout as the ZERO/NUL catalogue which was published 2 years earlier for the Haags Gemeentemuseum exhibition.
www.ftn-books.com has both catalogues available and of course the special stitched multiple by Henk Peeters which was published shortly before his death.
It was a few months ago that i was fortunate to buy a small collection of ARMANDO books. Only 25 cm’s of books, but among the 16 books , 6 were signed by the master himself. Since his death , Armando paintings, drawings and etchings have become highly collectable items and the books are no exception. Publications that are in most cases of a very high quality and the ARMANDO signature makes them even more wanted and collectable. ww.ftn-books.com has them now for sale, so please take a look at them at my site and search for the many Armando items i have for sale.
Artist/ Author: Oliver Boberg
Title : Memorial
Publisher: Oliver Boberg
Measurements: Frame measures 51 x 42 cm. original C print is 35 x 25 cm.
Condition: mint
signed by Oliver Boberg in pen and numbered 14/20 from an edition of 20
