In 1905, Erich Heckel (1883–1970) moved to Dresden to study architecture. It was a compromise because his parents refused to support him if he pursued art. In Dresden he met students Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Fritz Bleyl, all of whom shared his interest in both Neo-Romantic German painting and the emerging Expressionism. Together they founded the collective Die Brücke (The Bridge). Heckel was described by the art historian and curator William R. Valentiner as “tender and lyrical,” his landscapes possessing an “otherworldly beauty.” Valentiner introduced Heckel’s work to New York in 1923—just over a century ago—at the Anderson Galleries. The Neue Galerie now hosts a collection of 40 works by Heckel. They date from his student years to his service as a medical orderly during W.W. I. —Elena Clavarino