Overview

• Uecker died on June 10, 2025, at age 95 after a brief hospital stay in Düsseldorf, prompting tributes from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and cultural leaders.
• In the early 1960s he pioneered the use of nails as an artistic medium and emerged as a key figure of the avant-garde ZERO art movement.
• His large-scale nail reliefs, light installations and the noise-making “Terrororchester” carried political and humanitarian messages and were exhibited globally, including in totalitarian states.
• As one of his final projects, he designed four blue stained-glass windows for the Schweriner Dom, unveiled in December 2024, reflecting his lifelong connection to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
• Over a career spanning seven decades, he taught at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, influenced generations of artists and bolstered North Rhine-Westphalia’s international cultural reputation.