Erich Heckel

Exhibition at the Neue Galerie, New York, 9 October 2025 – 12 January 2026

Erich Heckel (1883–1970) was one of the co-founders of the Die Brücke artists' group, established in Dresden in June 1905. He remained a member of the group until its dissolution in May 1913. Despite his decisive role in the creation of this critical movement, which was a precursor to German Expressionism, he did not enjoy the same success as Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff, other artists in the group. As a result, there is a lack of documentation about him.

This catalogue of the first exhibition devoted to Heckel in an American museum focuses on the early career of the German painter. The focus is on his portraits and landscapes, as well as his paintings of bathers, which merge the two genres. The book includes 40 works created between 1905 and 1920 in Dresden, Berlin, northern Germany and during his service in Flanders during the war.