Zero

Group Zero or Group O are often referred to simply as Zero. They formed in Dusseldorf in 1957, in reaction to the subjective character of the prevailing tachisme or art informel. Zero felt their approach to art making which used light and motion opened up new forms of perception.

The group was formed by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack. They were joined in 1960 by Gunther Uecker. There were a number of other artists who associated or exhibited with Zero, most notably Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely, as well as Pol Bury and Daniel Spoerri. The name refers to the countdown for a rocket launch and according to the group is meant to evoke ‘a zone of silence [out of which develops] a new beginning’.

Three issues of a journal, Zero, were published, in April and October 1958 and July 1961. The group dissolved in 1966.