Käthe Kollwitz

Käthe Kollwitz filtered the concerns of Social Realism through dark, expressionistic portraits. She focused on the women and working-class citizens of Germany who were particularly devastated by upheaval, war, and economic inequality. Kollwitz worked in a number of media including painting, drawing, and sculpture, but a majority of her work comprised prints. Here, she focused on bold, high-contrast depictions of grief and miserable social conditions. While studying in Berlin in the mid-1880s, Kollwitz found inspiration in the drawings and social engagement of German artist Max Klinger; she later studied art in Munich. The first female professor at the Prussian Academy of Art, Kollwitz directed the master class for graphic arts before Nazis stripped her of her title. Her work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Getty Research Institute, and museums in Berlin and Cologne dedicated specifically to the artist.