Phantom Weiss I, Phantom Weiss II, Phantom Weiss III
Nails, white paint with glue on canvas on wood
Panels: 200 × 150 × 9 cm (78 3/4 × 59 1/16 × 3 9/16 in.) (each) Overall dimensions (approx.): 200 x 450 cm (78 3/4 x 177 3/16 in.)
Phantom Weiss I, II and III (White Phantom) form a monumental triptych of tumultuous nail sunflowers. A seemingly countless number of sharp metal rods cover each canvas, which has its own dynamics, inhabited by shadows and light that create spontaneous moving patterns.
Günther Uecker, founder of the ZERO Group, turned away from the main artistic trends of his time and espoused a return to "degree zero" in art. Fascinated by the purifying rites of oriental philosophies, he strives for formal simplicity and the spiritual purity of things based on the precepts of Buddhism, Taoism and Islam. He also invented personal rituals consisting of the incessant repetition of simple actions.
Phantom Weiss I, II and III are characteristic of Uecker’s paintings and sculptures from the 1950s. They were presented for the first time by the Pinault Collection at the “Reliquaires” (“Reliquaries”) show at the Laennec Hospital Chapel in Paris (2018).
