ZERO Movement

ZERO was an international avant-garde movement founded in Düsseldorf in 1957 by Heinz Mack and Otto Piene, later joined by Günther Uecker. Operating across Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and beyond, ZERO artists sought to move beyond the gestural painting of the postwar period toward light, vibration, space, and elemental material. Key figures include Bernard Aubertin, Yves Klein, Lucio Fontana, Jan Schoonhoven, Nul group members, and many others working in parallel across Europe.

The movement dissolved formally around 1966 but its influence extended through monochrome painting, kinetic art, and conceptual practice into the following decades.

Exhibition ephemera, printed matter, and related documents from The New Rare.

  • Original 1977 Bernard Aubertin exhibition invitation card, Rebus Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea, Florence — recto printed entirely in red on textured cream handmade-style paper; horizontal format; REBUS galleria d'arte contemporanea in mixed serif and sans-serif type at top; VENERDÌ 16 DICEMBRE 1977 – ORE 21,30; Mostra personale di in italic; BERNARD AUBERTIN in large spaced capitals; SARÀ PRESENTE L'ARTISTA · CATALOGO IN GALLERIA; address 50129 FIRENZE – Via della Fortezza, 9/r – Telef. 496.701 at foot. Reverse of 1977 Bernard Aubertin exhibition invitation card, Rebus Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea, Florence — verso showing plain unprinted textured cream paper stock with light age toning, minor corner wear, and handling marks consistent with period circulation and storage.

    Bernard Aubertin — Rebus Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Florence, 1977

    Bernard Aubertin — Rebus Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea, Florence, 1977

  • Reverse of 1994 Bernard Aubertin Le feu de la couleur exhibition invitation card, Espace de l'Art Concret, Mouans-Sartoux — verso printed entirely in red on cream stock with the name Bernard Aubertin repeated in dense rows across the full surface of the card, functioning as typographic monochrome; name becomes pattern, artist becomes surface. Original 1994 Bernard Aubertin Le feu de la couleur exhibition invitation card, Espace de l'Art Concret, Château de Mouans, Mouans-Sartoux — recto printed entirely in red on cream card stock; vertical format; header: Espace de l'Art Concret Château de Mouans; title le feu de la couleur in bold red; hommage à Bernard Aubertin / accompagné / de ses amis du mouvement Zéro; formal invitation text from André Aschièri, Maire de Mouans-Sartoux, Odile Biec, Directrice, and Sybil Albers-Barrier for vernissage

    Bernard Aubertin — Le feu de la couleur, Espace de l’Art Concret, Château de Mouans, 1994

    Bernard Aubertin — Le feu de la couleur, Espace de l’Art Concret, Château de Mouans, 1994