BERLIN (AP) — German artist Günther Uecker, one of the country's most important post-war artists who was world-famous for his large-format nail reliefs, has died. He was 95.
German news agency dpa reported that his family confirmed he died at the university hospital in his hometown of Düsseldorf in western Germany Tuesday night. They did not give a cause of death.
For decades, Uecker, who was often dubbed “the nail artist,” created art by hammering carpenter’s nails into chairs, pianos, sewing machines and canvases. His works can be found in museums and collections across the globe.
In his art work, seemingly endless numbers of nails, which would by themselves perhaps be perceived as potentially aggressive and hurtful, turned into harmonic, almost organic creations. His reliefs with the tightly hewn nails are reminiscent of waving grasses or fields of algae in a marine landscape.
Uecker himself described his nail art as diary-like landscapes of the soul, which he called an “expression of the poetic power of man,” dpa reported.
Hendrik Wüst, the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia which includes state capital Düsseldorf, called Uecker “one of the most important and influential artists in German post-war history” and said that with his life’s work, he influenced generations of young artists and “contributed to an open and dynamic society."
Born on March 13, 1930, in the village of Wendorf on the Baltic Sea, Uecker moved to Düsseldorf in the mid-1950s, where he studied and later also taught at the city's prestigious art academy.
In one of his most spectacular appearances or art happenings, he rode on the back of a camel through the hallways of the venerable academy in 1978. Together with fellow artist Gerhard Richter, he “occupied” the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden museum in 1968, with both kissing in front of the cameras.
The son of a farmer, he traveled the world with a humanitarian message of peace and exhibited in countless countries, including dictatorships and totalitarian states. He painted ash pictures after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986, and exhibited human rights messages painted on fabric in Beijing.
He also painted “Verletzungswörter,” or words of violence, killing and torment in many languages and foreign scripts on large canvases. In 2023, Uecker erected a stone memorial in Weimar in memory of the victims of the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald.
“The theme of my artistic work is the vulnerability of man by man,” he said.
FILE - People walk behind the art work 'Weisse Muehle' ( White Mill), by artist Guenther Uecker during the press preview of the ZERO exhibition in Berlin, Friday, March 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - A Christie's auction house employee poses for photographs next to one part of German Sculptor's Guenther Uecker's "Spirale I, Spirale II (Doppelspirale)" at their premises in London, Friday, March 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, March 9, 2005 file picture German artist Guenther Uecker, one of the country's most important post-war artists who was famous for his large-format nail reliefs, stands in front of his artwork 'Feld' (field) in Berlin, Berlin. (AP Photo/Jockel Finck, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Kreider had never been in the visiting locker room at Madison Square Garden before, and he needed someone to show him how to get on the ice for the Anaheim Ducks' morning skate.
It was an unfamiliar feeling for the NHL forward who spent 13 seasons with the New York Rangers, though he's not experiencing this alone. Kreider gets to do this alongside former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, as they played their first game back at their old home arena Monday night since getting sent across the country in separate trades.
Kreider waved to the crowd and received a rousing standing ovation following a lengthy video tribute to one of the organization's longest-tenured players. Trouba did the same a few minutes later as fans cheered at the end of a slightly shorter video.
Trouba went to Anaheim just over a year ago, following pressure from the front office to waive his no-trade clause, and spent the summer processing the change. Kreider was dealt in June after similar pressure, so his runway has been much shorter with the whirlwind move and getting ready to play hockey for a new team.
“I don’t think it completely settled in over the offseason," Kreider said. "It didn’t feel real until I got on the plane to go to California and then I was kind of all about getting my bearings there, kind of endear myself to a new group and get to know everyone, get to know the whole setup. I haven’t really had time.”
Kreider spent a lot of time in New York since making his debut in the 2012 playoffs. His 883 regular-season games played over those 13 years rank sixth in franchise history, he is tied for the most power-play goals with 116 and is among the leaders in other statistical categories.
Trouba spent five-plus seasons with the Original Six club, two and change with the “C” on his chest as its leader. His wife pursuing a medical career led him to request a trade there from Winnipeg in 2019, the couple had a son while living in New York and returning to his old neighborhood Sunday night made the 31-year-old emotional.
“There’s so much I learned through my time here about myself, about hockey, about starting a family,” Trouba said. "Just the growth of, I guess, the group and the team while I was here, and growth of myself is something that I look back on most.”
Their exits, which followed respected forward Barclay Goodrow getting put on waivers in the summer of 2024 and landing in San Jose, were unceremonious. General manager Chris Drury sent a memo to the rest of the league's teams spelling out that Trouba and Kreider were available, and each player ended up with the Ducks as the Rangers sought to change a mix that had come up short of winning the Stanley Cup.
Trouba conceded the process of being unwanted and then shipped away from a place he wanted to remain was difficult.
“There’s people that make decisions above you, and at the end of the day you’re a hockey player and this is the job I signed up for,” the big-hitting defenseman said. “I think it’s unfortunate, I guess I’ll say. I didn’t enjoy it in the moment, but it’s just a small piece of what was a very, very memorable and impactful 5 1/2 years for me.”
Kreider was cheered the moment he stepped on the ice for warmups. And while his No. 20 might have hung from the rafters at the Garden one day had he played his whole career there, prefers not to look back in anger.
“You try not to live in the past,” Kreider said. “It’s arrogant to think that you know what something is in that given moment. You don’t necessarily know if it’s going to be a good thing or a bad thing, so just take everything in stride.”
Kreider and Trouba are not the only ex-Rangers players now with Anaheim. They have former teammates Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano to lean on, as well, and coach Joel Quenneville put all four in the starting lineup.
“It’s made the transition super easy — I mean easier — having Jacob there, having Frank, Stromer," Kreider said. "Having that familiarity certainly helps. The entire group’s been great.”
Quenneville, who had his own emotional return to Chicago in October, when he went back for the first time since being banned from the NHL for his role in a 2010 sexual assault scandal involving his Blackhawks, does not want to pretend to know how Kreider and Trouba should feel about theirs.
He does, however, know the experienced players have had a big impact on the Ducks quickly growing into a contender. They are in a playoff spot nearing the midway point of the season and are on track to end a seven-year drought.
“(Kreider) instantly got our power play rolling and our team rolling right off the bat,” Quenneville said. “And Troubs has gotten off to a great start to the season playing bigger minutes than we envisioned, and all of a sudden offensively he’s been productive in a lot of ways that we didn’t see that coming, either.”
AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Anaheim Ducks left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates during warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Monday, Dec 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba (65) skates during warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Monday, Dec 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Anaheim Ducks left wing Chris Kreider (20) skates during warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Monday, Dec 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba skates during warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Monday, Dec 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
New York Rangers fans react to Anaheim Ducks' Chris Kreider skating during warmups before an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Monday, Dec 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
