Description:

John Edward Heliker
American, (1909-2000)
Rail Gang, 1936
pen and ink on paper
signed, titled, and dated lower left.

Provenance: From a private collector, Indianapolis.
Provenance; Kraushaar Galleries, New York.

Born in Yonkers, New York, John Heliker was originally a Cubist painter working with shattered planes of color, and then he evolved into a realist with loose modernist brushwork and bright color in the painting of interiors and the Maine coast.

He studied at the Art Students League from 1927 to 1929 and showed early interest in precise arrangements of forms and formal relationships. Between 1948 and 1958, he made several trips to Italy, which influenced complexity in his works.

He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1951. In 1958, Heliker took part in a conference on the visual arts at the University of Illinois. He taught at three New York City institutions, including Columbia University, from 1950-1977, the Art Students League, and Parsons.

In 1965, Heliker was a founding member of the New York Studio School with Mercedes Matter, Alex Katz, Leland Bell, Philip Guston and Nicholas Carone. He became an Associate of the National Academy of Design, New York City, in 1979, and an Academician in 1981.

He exhibited extensively at the Kraushaar Galleries, in New York City. Beginning in 1945, he had nineteen shows there, including his final one in 2000 that would be on the gallery walls shortly before his death on February 22nd at age ninety-one. He was a friend of John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Mark Rothko and Walker Evans.

In an unusual two-year exhibition from 1964-1966, The American Federation of Arts included John Heliker's painting, "Beach and Driftwood," in their Maine - 50 Artists of the 20th Century. At the time of the show, the painting was in the collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut.

A retrospective of his work was shown at the Whitney Museum in 1968, with a catalogue of ninety-four works authored by Lloyd Goodrich and Patricia Fitzgerald Mandel. This exhibition had 38 landscapes, still lifes, interiors, seascapes and portraits, and included many drawings in pencila and charcoal.

In Volume Four (1985-1986) of "The New Criterion", John Heliker's work is discussed in 'Versions of Pastoral', as it is in Volume Eighteen (1999-2000) in a review of his final show at Kraushaar, "A State of Being: Drawings of John Heliker".
A work by John Heliker is in the collection of the National Museum of American Art.

  • Dimensions: 9" H x 12 1/2" W (image), 13 1/4" H x 16 3/4" W (frame)
  • Medium: pen and ink on paper

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Professional in house shipping services are available for items. Shipping costs will include carrier fees, handling, and insurance. Shipping costs are in addition to the auction purchase amount. A low bid purchase price does not mean shipping costs will be any less. The size and weight of a package will impact the cost that the carrier charges. Multiple items will impact the cost of handling. Items that are of high value will require more insurance. The minimum cost for shipping is $20.00. If you are not prepared to pay for our shipping, do not bid. Some items may require a third-party shipper. Please let the office know if you would like to pick up your winning bid or arrange your own shipping.
Successful bidders will receive a final invoice within 3-4 business days after the auction giving you payment and shipping details, if applicable, pertaining to the item(s) you have purchased. After the payment is made, your purchase will be shipped with in 10 business days and tracking will be sent by email. It is the buyers responsibility to confirm shipping and billing address provided on invoices.

October 9, 2021 11:00 AM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

Ripley Auctions

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $199 $20
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 + $2,500