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Photo of Käthe Kollwitz

Käthe Kollwitz

Born: 1867 (Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia))

Died: 1945 (Moritzburg, Germany)

Käthe Kollwitz figures among the most important of German Expressionist artists of the early twentieth century. A sculptor and printmaker, she stands outside the organized movements of Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter in her more realist leanings. Still, she held in common with many artists of the German avant-garde a deep concern for the social issues of the day, especially, in her case, the industrial poor and victims of the crushing economic conditions in Germany after World War I that led to the Nazi takeover in the early 1930s. One of her most moving themes was the distraught mother cradling a sick or dying child, often under the shadow of a menacing death figure. There are few figures in the modern tradition who speak so eloquently to human tragedy as Kollwitz. She is best known for her powerful black-and-white etchings and lithographs that place her among the most important printmakers of her age.

Artworks

Die Zertretene [The Downtrodden]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1900. Medium: etching.

Die Zertretene [The Downtrodden]

1900

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Nachdenkende Frau [Woman Reflecting]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1920. Medium: lithograph.

Nachdenkende Frau [Woman Reflecting]

1920

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Selbstbildnis im Profil Nach Rechts [Self Portrait in profile to right]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1938. Medium: lithograph.

Selbstbildnis im Profil Nach Rechts [Self Portrait in profile to right]

1938

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Weberzug [March of the Weavers]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1897. Medium: etching.

Weberzug [March of the Weavers]

1897

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Die Carmagnole [The Carmagnole]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1901. Medium: etching and aquatint and emery.

Die Carmagnole [The Carmagnole]

1901

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Tod und Frau [Death and the Woman]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: etching and sandpaper aquatint.

Tod und Frau [Death and the Woman]

1910

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Beim Scythe [Whetting the Scythe]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1905. Medium: soft ground etching on paper.

Beim Scythe [Whetting the Scythe]

1905

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Das Opfer [The Sacrifice]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1922/1923. Medium: woodcut.

Das Opfer [The Sacrifice]

1922/1923

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Zwei Schwatzende Frauen mit zwei Kindern [Two Chatting Women with Two Children]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1930. Medium: lithograph.

Zwei Schwatzende Frauen mit zwei Kindern [Two Chatting Women with Two Children]

1930

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Call of Death (Ruf des Todes). Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: c. 1937. Medium: lithograph.

Call of Death (Ruf des Todes)

c. 1937

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Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and the Woman Struggling for a Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1911. Medium: etching.

Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and the Woman Struggling for a Child]

1911

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Tod, Frau, und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: softground etching.

Tod, Frau, und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]

1910

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Gefallen [Killed in Action]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1921. Medium: lithograph.

Gefallen [Killed in Action]

1921

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Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm [Mother with Child in Arms]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: etching.

Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm [Mother with Child in Arms]

1910

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Überfahren [Run Over]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: soft-ground etching.

Überfahren [Run Over]

1910

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Schlachtfeld [Battlefield]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1907. Medium: soft-ground etching.

Schlachtfeld [Battlefield]

1907

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Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and Woman Struggling for a Child)]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1911. Medium: etching.

Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and Woman Struggling for a Child)]

1911

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Sitzender Mannlicher Akt  [Nude Man Sitting]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1891. Medium: etching.

Sitzender Mannlicher Akt [Nude Man Sitting]

1891

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Frau mit Ubereinandergelegten Handen [Woman with Folded Hands]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1898. Medium: etching.

Frau mit Ubereinandergelegten Handen [Woman with Folded Hands]

1898

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Selbstbildnis [Self-Portrait]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1912. Medium: etching.

Selbstbildnis [Self-Portrait]

1912

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Tod, Frau und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: softground etching.

Tod, Frau und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]

1910

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Maria und Elisabeth [Mary and Elizabeth]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1928. Medium: woodcut.

Maria und Elisabeth [Mary and Elizabeth]

1928

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Die Gefangenen [The Prisoners]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1908. Medium: soft-ground etching.

Die Gefangenen [The Prisoners]

1908

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Abschied und Tod [Farewell and Death]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1923/24. Medium: lithograph.

Abschied und Tod [Farewell and Death]

1923/24

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Mutter mit Jungen, seine Arme um ihren Hals [Boy with Arms around Mother’s Neck]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1931. Medium: lithograph.

Mutter mit Jungen, seine Arme um ihren Hals [Boy with Arms around Mother’s Neck]

1931

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Die Pflüger [The Ploughmen]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1906. Medium: etching and aquatint.

Die Pflüger [The Ploughmen]

1906

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