
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
![Selbstbildnis im Profil Nach Rechts [Self Portrait in profile to right]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1938. Medium: lithograph.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140552/1968.1.778.jpg)
Selbstbildnis im Profil Nach Rechts [Self Portrait in profile to right]
1938
![Zwei Schwatzende Frauen mit zwei Kindern [Two Chatting Women with Two Children]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1930. Medium: lithograph.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140534/1968.1.758.jpg)
Zwei Schwatzende Frauen mit zwei Kindern [Two Chatting Women with Two Children]
1930
![Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and the Woman Struggling for a Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1911. Medium: etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140529/1980.9.2.jpg)
Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and the Woman Struggling for a Child]
1911
![Tod, Frau, und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: softground etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140518/1968.1.771.jpg)
Tod, Frau, und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]
1910
![Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm [Mother with Child in Arms]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140507/1968.1.763.jpg)
Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm [Mother with Child in Arms]
1910
![Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and Woman Struggling for a Child)]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1911. Medium: etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140456/1968.1.756.jpg)
Tod und Frau, um das Kind ringend [Death and Woman Struggling for a Child)]
1911
![Sitzender Mannlicher Akt [Nude Man Sitting]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1891. Medium: etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140454/1970.0.6.jpg)
Sitzender Mannlicher Akt [Nude Man Sitting]
1891
![Frau mit Ubereinandergelegten Handen [Woman with Folded Hands]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1898. Medium: etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140452/1968.1.759.jpg)
Frau mit Ubereinandergelegten Handen [Woman with Folded Hands]
1898
![Tod, Frau und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1910. Medium: softground etching.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140440/1980.9.1-1024x1016.jpg)
Tod, Frau und Kind [Death, Woman and Child]
1910
![Maria und Elisabeth [Mary and Elizabeth]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1928. Medium: woodcut.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140437/1968.1.773.jpg)
Maria und Elisabeth [Mary and Elizabeth]
1928
![Abschied und Tod [Farewell and Death]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1923/24. Medium: lithograph.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140424/1968.1.980.jpg)
Abschied und Tod [Farewell and Death]
1923/24
![Mutter mit Jungen, seine Arme um ihren Hals [Boy with Arms around Mother’s Neck]. Artist: Käthe Kollwitz. Date: 1931. Medium: lithograph.](https://cdn.dirigible.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/30140422/1968.1.757.jpg)
Mutter mit Jungen, seine Arme um ihren Hals [Boy with Arms around Mother’s Neck]
1931