Struktur Reihung (diptyque)

1968

Black panel : lacquer and nails on canvas mounted on panel ; White panel : white latex and nails on canvas mounted on panel

60 x 60 x 10 cm (23 5/8 x 23 5/8 x 3 15/16 in.)

The Struktur Reihung diptych comes in two versions of the same square canvas, one black, the other white. Their surface is covered with a grid of carefully aligned nails blending into the colour of their support. The shadow they cast acts as a dynamic partition.

Fascinated by Asian philosophies, in the 1950s Günther Uecker practiced a personal ritual consisting of endlessly repeating a single formal idea. He covered canvases and sculptures with countless nails that cast shadows on their surfaces in ever-changing patterns. In the 1960s he gave his working method a conceptual and kinetic dimension in contact with John Cage and the American minimalists.

Struktur Reihung will be exhibited for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the “Au-delà de la couleur” ("Beyond Colour") show at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes in June 2021.

Exhibitions