John Heliker Art

American, 1909-2000

Determined to become an artist, Heliker dropped out of high school to copy paintings at the Metropolitan Museum. From 1927 until 1929 he studied with Kimon Nicolaides, Thomas Hart Benton, and Boardman Robinson at the Art Students League. After several years away Heliker returned to New York in the 1930s and in 1947 joined the faculty at Columbia University where he taught until his retirement. Heliker won a Prix de Rome in 1948 and spent the next five summers in Italy. At this time larger strokes and freer designs began replacing the structural, Cézannesque abstractions that occupied him in the 1940s and early 1950s. A painter of landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, Heliker chooses traditional subject matter for his semi-abstract, painterly compositions. John Heliker was one of the premier landscape and figurative paintings of the second half of the twentieth century. He was born in Yonkers, New York when it was still farm country and, after high school, studied painting at the Art Students from 1927-1929. Heliker had three one-person shows at the Maynard Walker Gallery in New York, the first in 1936, and in the late 1930s was making drawings for the New Masses and joined the easel division of the WPA Federal Art Project. When Maynard Walker Gallery closed Heliker began his association with Kraushaar Galleries that continues with his estate to this day. Heliker was a Professor of Art at Columbia University for twenty-seven years. He also taught at the Colorado Springs Fine arts Center, Art Students League, the New York Studio School (he was a founding faculty member), and in the MFA Painting Program at Parsons School of Design. His work was exhibited nationally in the major survey exhibitions of the Carnegie Institute, the Brooklyn Museum, the Cleveland Museum, the Corcoran Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art’s Abstract Painting in America, and many others. The Whitney Museum of American Art honored Heliker with a mid-career retrospective in 1968, and he has been included in numerous Whitney Museum annuals and biennials. Heliker's work toured Europe in the 1950's through the USIA, and he was a featured artist at the World's Fair in Brussels in 1958 and in Osaka in 1969. He was represented at the Bicentennial Exhibition AMERICA: 1976 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, which traveled through the country. Heliker was elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1969. From the American Academy of Arts and Letters he won a Gold Medal for Merit and a Purchase award and grant in 1967. The artist was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Colby College, Maine and from Bard College, New York. He worked and lived in New York and on the coast of Maine, where he painted since the 1950's.

Artist: John Heliker

John HelikerSemi-abstract Still Life, Large 20th Century Blue & Pink Oil Painting

$5,440Sale Price|31% Off

Semi-abstract Still Life, Large 20th Century Blue & Pink Oil Painting

By John Heliker

Located in Beachwood, OH

John Heliker (American, 1909-2000) Still Life with Sugar Bowl Oil on canvas Signed lower right 39.75 x 39.75 inches 45.5 x 45.5 inches, framed Provenance: Private Collection Ypsilant...

Category

20th Century Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Oil

John HelikerUNTITLED (KEEP SMILING)

$1,250

UNTITLED (KEEP SMILING)

By John Heliker

Located in Portland, ME

Heliker, John. (American, 1909-2000). UNTITLED ("KEEP SMILING). Ink on paper, not dated, likely 1930s. The image is of two men in a workshop, one possibly the customer, the other wor...

Category

1930s John Heliker Art

Materials

Ink

John HelikerUNTITLED PORTRAIT, circa 1930

$1,250

UNTITLED PORTRAIT

By John Heliker

Located in Portland, ME

Heliker, John. (American, 1909-2000). UNTITLED PORTRAIT. Ink on paper, not dated, likely 1930s. The image is of a man, likely a factory worker, seated, wearing a cap, leaning his face on one hand, with factory structures in the background. Signed, lower right. c. 8 x 8 inches 0n a larger sheet. In excellent condition. Heliker was born in Yonkers and spent his adult life dividing his time between Manhattan, where he taught art for decades, and Great Cranberry Island...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern John Heliker Art

Materials

Ink

John HelikerSelf Portrait (original signed unique charcoal drawing) Kraushaar Gallery label, 1991

$2,800

Self Portrait (original signed unique charcoal drawing) Kraushaar Gallery label

By John Heliker

Located in New York, NY

John Heliker Self Portrait, 1991 Charcoal Pencil on Paper (with original Kraushaar Galleries label verso) Signed on the front bears the original KRAUSHAAR GALLERIES label on the verso on the frame Vintage metal frame included Self portrait done in charcoal pencil by distinguished American artist John Heliker. Hand signed on the front This work is framed - bears the label of the renowned KRAUSHAAR GALLERIES on the verso. Image size: 13 inches by 10 inches; Framed: 18 1/2 inches by 14 1/2 inches About John Heliker from The New York Times Obituary, 2000 (Roberta Smith) John Heliker, a painter and teacher who was a fixture of the New York art world for nearly seven decades, died on Tuesday at the Sonojee Estate, a health center in Bar Harbor, Me. He was 91 and had lived in New York during most of his career, spending summers on Cranberry Island...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern John Heliker Art

Materials

Charcoal, Carbon Pencil

Paul GavarniPaul Gavarni (1804-1866) Portrait of a young man, signed drawing, circa 1845

$1,093

H 9.34 in W 6.7 in

Paul Gavarni (1804-1866) Portrait of a young man, signed drawing

By Paul Gavarni

Located in Paris, FR

Paul Gavarni (1804-1866) Portrait of a young man leaning on a Chair Signed lower right Black pencil on paper 23.7 x 17.6 cm In good condition Framed : 40 x 34 cm This fine portr...

Category

1840s Romantic John Heliker Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Christophe StouvenelNo SeNsE - Lady, 2018

$102

H 9.45 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in

No SeNsE - Lady

By Christophe Stouvenel

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Cut out vignettes, paste stickers and drop ink stains "... This is how Christophe Stouvenel says" KIKI "defines his series No Sense. Surrealist inspired and ...

Category

2010s John Heliker Art

Materials

Glue, Ink, Mixed Media

Christophe StouvenelNo SeNsE - Anatomy, 2018

$102

H 9.45 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in

No SeNsE - Anatomy

By Christophe Stouvenel

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Cut out vignettes, paste stickers and drop ink stains "... This is how Christophe Stouvenel says" KIKI "defines his series No Sense. Surrealist inspired and ...

Category

2010s John Heliker Art

Materials

Glue, Ink, Mixed Media

Jessie Willcox SmithWater Babies- Sitting on a Leaf

$6,000

H 1 in W 1 in

Water Babies- Sitting on a Leaf

By Jessie Willcox Smith

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Ink and Watercolor on Paper Signature: Signed Lower Right Contact for exact dimensions. Inscribed Signed for-/Thomas Oakley/CHRISTMAS-1919 (lower right) - Charles Kingsle...

Category

20th Century John Heliker Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Gérard AltmannLe Bouquet, 1955 - oil paint, 110x83 cm, framed, 1955

$5,922

H 43.31 in W 32.68 in

Le Bouquet, 1955 - oil paint, 110x83 cm, framed

By Gérard Altmann

Located in Nice, FR

Oil on canvas, signed lower left. Gérard Altmann, né à Paris le 23 septembre 1923 et mort à Paris le 19 avril 2012, est un peintre français. Il est le ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Oil

Georges Antoine RochegrosseG. A. Rochegrosse (1859-1938) , Study for "Le Cocher" original drawing, 1914

$484

H 5.71 in W 5.12 in

G. A. Rochegrosse (1859-1938) , Study for "Le Cocher" original drawing

By Georges Antoine Rochegrosse

Located in Paris, FR

Georges Antoine Rochegrosse (1859-1938) Study for "Le Cocher" carbon pencil on thin paper 14.5 x 13 cm In good condition Framed : 36.7 x 31 cm Provenance: Estate of the artist and...

Category

1910s Symbolist John Heliker Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Jacqueline BarbetPortrait Drawing, Pencil Pastel Charcoal on Paper, Signed, 1938, 1938

$615

H 13.19 in W 9.85 in D 0.04 in

Portrait Drawing, Pencil Pastel Charcoal on Paper, Signed, 1938

By Jacqueline Barbet

Located in Roma, IT

Portrait is an artwork realized by the french Artist Jacqueline Barbet (1902-1975), in 1938. Pencil, pastel and charcoal rawing on paper. Hand-signed and dated in pencil in Roman nu...

Category

1930s Modern John Heliker Art

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel, Pencil

Eric Alfaro"Porcelain and Flowers" French Vase with Colorful Flowers Oil Painting on Linen, 2024

$15,000

H 60 in W 60 in D 1.5 in

"Porcelain and Flowers" French Vase with Colorful Flowers Oil Painting on Linen

By Eric Alfaro

Located in New York, NY

An impressionistic depiction of a Saint-Cloud factory porcelain vase ca. 1695–1710 with a burst of flowers exploding with color and bold marks. Alfaro bridges the Baroque cultural mo...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Vik SchroederMoonlight Sonata // moody art floristics painting; lunar eclipse /, 2026

$702Sale Price|35% Off

H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.79 in

Moonlight Sonata // moody art floristics painting; lunar eclipse /

By Vik Schroeder

Located in Zofingen, AG

This oil painting immerses the viewer in a world of mystery and moonlight magic. The central element of the composition is a pale blue flower surrounded by turquoise-green leaves, im...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Oil

Mougenot NatalyaImpressionist expressive oil floral painting on board "Summer's orange bloom", 2025

$273Sale Price|20% Off

H 11.82 in W 9.45 in D 0.12 in

Impressionist expressive oil floral painting on board "Summer's orange bloom"

By Mougenot Natalya

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

This contemporary post-impressionist floral painting, "Summer’s Orange Bloom", with a touch of expressionism and art brut, was created by the French artist Natalya Mougenot. Vibran...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Jerry Walter & Linda WalterRare 1950s Original Syndicated Ink Drawing Cartoon Strip Susie Q Smith Comic Art, c. 1954

$850

H 6 in W 18.25 in

Rare 1950s Original Syndicated Ink Drawing Cartoon Strip Susie Q Smith Comic Art

By Jerry Walter & Linda Walter

Located in Surfside, FL

SUSIE Q. SMITH Medium: Newspaper comics Distributed by: King Features Syndicate First Appeared: 1945 Creators: Linda and Jerry Walter 6 X 18.25 Like her contemporaries, Aggie Mack,...

Category

1950s American Modern John Heliker Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Karnish ArtFlourish Now! Large Abstract Floral Painting, Acrylic Oil Pastel, 101x76 cm, 2026

$1,500

H 39.77 in W 29.93 in D 0.79 in

Flourish Now! Large Abstract Floral Painting, Acrylic Oil Pastel, 101x76 cm

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Flourish Now! Painting Floral Abstract Bold Freedom Contrast Statement Maximalism In this painting, I expressed the feeling of aliveness into vibrant pink blossoms bursting...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist John Heliker Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Previously Available Items

John HelikerStill Life with Pomegranate

Sold

H 7 in W 9 in

Still Life with Pomegranate

By John Heliker

Located in Wiscasset, ME

Born in Yonkers, New York in 1909, painter and teacher John Heliker studied at the Art Students League. Heliker was a founding member of the New York Studio School with Mercedes Matter, Alex Katz, Leland Bell, Philip Guston and Nicholas Carone...

Category

Modern John Heliker Art

Materials

Watercolor

John Heliker art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic John Heliker art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by John Heliker in ink, carbon pencil, charcoal and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large John Heliker art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Florence E. Nosworthy, Frank Kleinholz, and Hal Frater. John Heliker art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,100 and tops out at $7,975, while the average work can sell for $2,100.