Heckel studied architecture at Dresden Institute of Technology from 1904-05. He was a friend of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff since 1901, then met Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Fritz Bleyl at the Institute. In 1905 he was a co-founder of Die Brucke in Dresden. In 1907 he worked in the marschland of Dangast with Schmidt-Rottluff, returning to Dresden via Berlin wher he visited Max Pechstein. In 1909 he went to Italy, then spent the Summer with Kirchner on the Moritzburg lakes near Dresden and the autumn with Schmidt-Rottluff again in Dangast. In 1910 he went to Berlin where he developed a friendship with Otto Mueller, he stayed in Dangast again this time with both Schmidt-Rottluff and Pechstein, and spent a second summer at the Moritzburg lakes with Kirchner, and again this time with Pechstein. In 1911 he moved to Berlin, where he produced some of his most remarkable work. Over the next years he spent time Prerow, Pomerania, Moritzburg, Stralsund and the extraordinary Summer of 1912 at Stralsund and on Fehmarn with Kirchner.In 1913 the Bruecke group was disolved.From 1914-15 Heckel worked as a medical orderly in Flanders where he met Max Beckmann and James Ensor. In 1918 he returned to Berlin where with Nolde and Pechstein he became a meber of the political Novembergruppe.In 1937 he was forbidden by the Nazis to exhibit and his works were confiscated from the museums. In 1944 his Berlin studio was destroyed by fire. He moved to Hemmenhofen on lake Constance and from 1949-55 taught at the Karlsruhe Academy.