Kathe Kollwitz

Käthe Kollwitz was a German artist known for her powerful and emotionally charged works across various mediums, including painting, printmaking and sculpture. Her art, initially rooted in Social Realism, later became closely associated with the Expressionist movement. Kollwitz was the first woman not only to be elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, but also to receive an honorary professor status.

Born in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1867, Kollwitz began her artistic journey at a young age. Her father recognised her talent and arranged for her to receive formal drawing lessons. Between 1885 and 1886, she studied under the direction of Karl Stauffer-Bern, a friend of the artist Max Klinger, at the School for Women Artists in Berlin. At the age of 16, she began working with subjects associated with the Social Realism movement, making drawings of working people, sailors and peasants she saw in her father’s offices. The etchings of Klinger, his technique, and social concerns were an inspiration to Kollwitz.

Kollwitz’s commitment to producing art with a social purpose set her apart during a time when many artists were experimenting with abstraction. She worked on themes of motherhood, grief and resistance, and brought visibility to the working class, asserting the female point of view as a necessary and powerful agent for change.

Käthe Kollwitz died in 1945 at the age of 77. Throughout her career, Kollwitz created art that was deeply personal and politically charged. Her prints, including etchings and woodcuts, often depicted the hardships of the working class and the impacts of war. Her works are preserved and displayed in various institutions, including the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin, which is dedicated to her legacy and showcases a comprehensive collection of her artwork. Kollwitz’s influence continues to be felt today, as her powerful images and commitment to social justice resonate with contemporary audiences.