Käthe Kollwitz

One of the great German Expressionist artists, Kaethe Kollwitz wrote little of herself. But her diary, kept from 1900 to her death in 1945, and her brief essays and letters express, as well as explain, much of the spirit, wisdom, and internal struggle which was eventually transmuted into her art.

Social injustices, hunger, war, sorrow and death - these are the subjects most frequently associated with Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945). That nude representations also featured in all areas and phases of her work is less well known. The artist dedicated drawings, printed works on paper and sculptures to this subject. Initially these works were close to the symbolism of Max Klinger, and later developed into coloured prints that are on a par with the nudes of French modernism. And finally, there are the drawings and sculptures that reveal her enthusiasm for the work of Rodin and Maillol. Exhibition: Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie Regensburg, Germany (24.08.-03.11.2013). 0.

83 moving works: The Weavers, Peasant War, War, Death, and others. "To see the beautiful examples of her work reproduced in this well-printed, reasonably priced volume is to sit at the feet of a great modern master."

Summary: Käthe Kollwitz, eine der berühmtesten deutschen Künstlerinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts, wird weithin unter dem Blickwinkel des sozialen Engagements in ihren Arbeiten betrachtet. Nun wird ihre Auseinandersetzung mit der Kunst ihrer Pariser Zeitgenossen in einer spannenden Gegenüberstellung erstmals umfassend aufgezeigt. Zum 25-jährigen Jubiläum des Käthe Kollwitz Museums, Köln, das den weltweit grössten Bestand an Arbeiten von Kollwitz umfasst, wird dieses bisher unbehandelte Kapitel der Rezeption moderner französischer Kunst im deutschen Kaiserreich grundlegend erarbeitet. Exhibition: Käthe-Kollwitz Museum, Köln (29.10.2010 - 16.1.2011).

The art of German printmaker and sculptor Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945) is famously empathetic; Kollwitz imbued her prints, drawings, and sculpture with eloquent and often painful commentary on the human condition, especially the horrors of war. This insightful book, the first English-language catalogue on Kollwitz in more than two decades, offers the singular opportunity to examine her work against the tumultuous backdrop of World Wars I and II. The societal cost of war became an enduring subject for Kollwitz after her youngest son died on the battlefield in Flanders in 1914. She dedicated much of the remainder of her career to creating images that questioned the efficacy of war, exposed its devastation, and promoted peace. The essays discuss the motifs she developed in this pursuit--young widows, grieving parents alongside maternal figures that serve as defenders, guardians, activists, and mourners-within the context of German visual culture from 1914 to 1945.

159 p. : 29 cm

Collects eighty-three of German artist Käthe Kollwitz's drawings and prints on such themes as death, war, and poverty.