Günther Uecker – Hammer and Nails on Wood DIY

1969


A signed conceptual multiple created by celebrated German ZERO artist Günther Uecker in 1969. This thought-provoking piece features a real carpenter’s hammer and two nails, mounted on a natural wood panel, and presented in a plexiglas showcase. 

The wooden base is signed by Uecker in pencil on the lower right, and the verso includes a stamp with details, visible through a cutout in the rear panel.

With characteristic irony, Uecker invites the viewer to imagine participating in the creative process—do it yourself - yet the object remains untouched, encased, and complete in its suggestion.

Size Wooden board: 34 × 16.6 × 7.5 cm
Size Showcase: approx. 60 × 40 x 10 cm

Published by Edition VICE-Versand, Remscheid, Germany
Literature : Buchholz / Magnani, International Index of Multiples from Duchamp to the Present, Cologne 1993, p. 195

Günther Uecker (1930 -2025) is best known for his radical use of nails and tactile materials in works that blur the line between painting, sculpture, and object art. A key member of the ZERO group, Uecker's art explores light, shadow, movement, and viewer participation, often with a poetic or critical edge.

A copy of this work is held in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, underlining its importance within postwar conceptual and object-based art.