# Bernhard Heiliger artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/bernhard-heiliger/
Profile generated: 2026-05-27T19:31:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1915-11-11
- Death date: 1995-10-26
- Nationality: German
- Common media: sculpture, painting, printmaking, watercolor, collage, drawing

## About Bernhard Heiliger

Bernhard Heiliger (1915–1995) was a German sculptor, painter, printmaker, and graphic artist born in Szczecin (then Stettin). Widely regarded as West Germany's foremost sculptor, he created large-scale public artworks that remain a prominent presence in many German cities, particularly Berlin. Heiliger worked across a broad range of media including monumental bronze sculpture, painting, watercolor, collage, and printmaking, and he held academic positions as a professor and teacher. His career spanned the postwar reconstruction era through German reunification, and his public commissions helped define the visual landscape of postwar German cities. Works by Heiliger are held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London.

## Common works and media

Heiliger is most commonly encountered in appraisal and auction contexts as a sculptor. His sculptural output ranges from large public monuments and architectural commissions to smaller studio bronzes. He also produced paintings, watercolors, collages, drawings, and graphic prints, which may appear more frequently on the secondary market due to their portability and edition potential. Works on paper and prints represent an accessible entry point for collectors, while monumental sculptures are typically held by institutions or municipalities.

## Market and appraisal context

Heiliger's work appears at auction primarily in the Post-War and Modern German art categories. The range of media he practiced—monumental sculpture, studio-scale bronzes, paintings, watercolors, collages, and prints—means that works encountered at auction vary widely in scale and value. Key factors for appraisal include the specific medium, dimensions, provenance linking to his Berlin studio or known public commissions, condition, and exhibition history. His 70-plus recorded works in the RKD images database suggest a substantial oeuvre. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, especially for works on paper, and consult comparable auction records for realized prices.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Bernhard Heiliger, this page draws on authority files from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, the Library of Congress, and institutional collection records from MoMA and Tate, supplemented by biographical reference sources.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/37085
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/35248270/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500025399
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q813581
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Heiliger
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/bernhard-heiliger-1262
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/2575
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86041683