Erich Heckel

Explore the oeuvre of Erich Heckel, one of the most important German Expressionist painters of the twentieth century.

Erich Heckel, 1883-1970, was one of the co-founders of the Künstlergruppe Brücke (Artists’ Group Bridge), established in Dresden in June 1905. He remained part of the group until it disbanded in May 1913.

Despite his seminal role in the establishment of this critical early manifestation of German Expressionism, he has not garnered the same acclaim as his fellow Die Brücke artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. As a result, there is a dearth of literature available on him in English and he has never had a solo exhibition in an American museum.

This important publication, which accompanies a show at the Neue Galerie New York, aims to redress this oversight. The texts presented in this lavishly illustrated monograph will focus on Heckel’s early career and cover topics ranging from his involvement with Die Brücke; the works he created during his idyllic summers in the Friesian beach resort of Dangast; his military service during World War I; and his bold and expressive woodcuts.

Emphasis is placed on his portrait and landscape paintings and his vibrant pictures of bathers, which merge both genres. The authors will address the work he made in Dresden, Berlin, and northern Germany, in addition to his output while serving in Flanders during the war.

VIVIAN ENDICOTT BARNETT is an independent scholar. She has been the editor of and contributor to past Neue Galerie publications including Franz Marc and August Macke (2018) and Alexei Jawlensky (2017).