Erich Heckel Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

Badende Am Waldteich (1910) achieved Heckel's current auction record when it sold at Christie's London in February 2015 for £100,000 above its high estimate. This oil painting, created during the artist's most innovative period with Die Brücke, exemplifies the group's preoccupation with depicting humanity in harmony with nature. It was painted during the summer of 1910, when Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Max Pechstein developed the unique, shared style of the group, with simplified forms and raw colours. The painting depicts bathers at a woodland pond, a recurring theme that allowed Heckel and the Die Brücke group to represent more abstract ideas about freedom within the natural world. The work's provenance, including its early acquisition by art dealer Ludwig Schames in Frankfurt and later purchased by Dr. Carl Hagemann, contributed to its strong performance.

This double-sided canvas from 1910-20 achieved its impressive result at Sotheby’s New York in November 2006. The work presents two distinct masterpieces: a Dresden nude on one side and a still life with plants on the other, showcasing Heckel's versatility across subjects. The nude demonstrates his characteristically bold handling of the human form, while the still life reveals his sophisticated understanding of colour relationships. The choice to paint on the back of an existing artwork was not uncommon for artists during times of financial struggle; ironically, on the secondary market today, these double-sided artworks often achieve much higher sales values than the individual pieces would on their own.

Blühende Apfelbäume (1907) sold at Christie's London in February 2018 as part of an Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale. Its distinctly Impressionist finish is typical of Heckel's early Die Brücke period works. The vibrant landscape, depicting the eponymous blooming apple trees, showcases Heckel’s innovative use of unmixed colours and bold brushwork that would become hallmarks of the movement. The work's impressive result, achieved more than a century after its creation, underscores collector appreciation for pieces that capture the raw energy of early Expressionism. Its short exhibition history, appearing at the Galerie Wolfgang Wittrock, Dusseldorf, in 1990, ensured that this piece remained fairly unknown before 2018.

Selling at Sotheby’s London in October 2000, Dangast Village Landscape (1909) represents one of Heckel's most accomplished works from his visits to the North Sea village of Dangast between 1907 and 1910 with fellow artist Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. The location proved instrumental in the development of his distinctive landscape style, with this painting showcasing his bold interpretation of rural architecture and coastal light. Created during a period when Die Brücke artists were exploring painting locations beyond Dresden, the work demonstrates the group's preference for wilder, more primitive natural environments, away from city life. Dangast Village Landscape is a vital piece in the puzzle that links Expressionism to Impressionism.

Gruppe Im Freien (1909), otherwise known as Drei Frauen, achieved this notable result at Phillips, De Pury, & Luxembourg New York in November 2001, when it was sold out of the Hoener Collection. The painting, which translates to "Group Outdoors” or “Three Women," is a quintessential example of Heckel’s artworks portraying often-nude female figures among nature. The angular forms, simplified shapes, bold outlines, and intense colours were typical of Die Brücke's radical approach to traditional subject matter. Created during a particularly productive period, the work was painted and set at the Moritzburg Lakes, where Heckel and the Die Brücke artists regularly stayed between 1909 and 1911.

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This oil painting from 1909-10 achieved its impressive price in Munich in June 2022, proving the sustained recent interest in Heckel’s work. Kinder (Children) is thought to depict Fränzi Fehrmann, a young female model who appears in many of Heckel’s works from his time in Dresden. The clothed figure, seated beside the naked child, creates a knowing psychological intensity that is familiar across this style of Die Brücke paintings - Heckel developed a growing interest in depicting the human figure with emotional directness.

Geigerin (1912), which sold at Christie's London in June 2012, was painted just a year before the dissolution of the Die Brücke group in 1913. As such, it marks a significant turning point in Heckel’s career, and the introduction of new subject matter. The oil painting, depicting a female violinist, is one of many that focus on figures playing music in an interior space - a sharp contrast with his earlier nature-based works. The work does, however, retain the perceptive emotional expression that the group was known for. The painting's dry, refined palette and angular rendering of the human form is typical of what is now considered the highlight of Heckel’s career.

This double-sided canvas from c.1909-10 achieved its result at Christie's London in June 2003. Like several works from this period, it demonstrates Heckel's practice of maximising his materials by painting on both sides of the canvas. The Seated Female Nude, otherwise known as "Ägyptisches Mädchen" (Egyptian Girl), shows his characteristic handling of the figure, while The White House, Moritzburg captures one of the group's favourite painting locations by the Moritzburg Lakes. Heckel kept the painting until the 1960s, when it was quietly sold to Galerie Grosshennig. It was then only seen once before its sale in 2003, adding an air of intrigue to the work.

Selling at Sotheby's London in October 2002, Kinder Im Freien (1909), otherwise known as “Children In A Landscape” or “Children In The Open,” exemplifies Heckel's recurring interest in depicting children within natural settings. The work combines two of his most successful subjects - figures and landscapes - in a composition that reflects the Die Brücke group’s love of bold, bright colour palettes and gesticulating brushstrokes. Despite their naturalistic focus, their colour choices are very often considered non-naturalistic. The use of bright greens in this painting, for example, demonstrates Heckel’s desire to manipulate his subject matter to maximise the expressive impact and evoke a clear sense of happiness and freedom.

This pair of paintings from 1909 achieved their combined result at a Sotheby’s London sale of German and Austrian art in February 2006. Created during Heckel's travels in Italy, particularly around Rome, these works show him applying Die Brücke's radical aesthetic to Mediterranean subjects. Heckel’s journey through Italy took him from Verona, Padua, Venice, and Ravenna and then on to Rome. As such, the paintings from this time tell a story that is personal to the artist, a fact that contributed to their success at auction in 2006.