Description:

Kathe Kollwitz
German, (1867-1945)
Kleiner Mannerkopf, 1922
woodcut on wove paper
pencil signed lower right, titled lower edge under matte which is shown in the last photo on a xeroxed image.

Provenance: From a private collector, Indianapolis.

From the archives of AskArt: Käthe Kollwitz began her life as Käthe Schmidt, daughter of a well-to-do mason, in 1867 in East Prussia. Her father arranged for her to have private art instruction at the age of 14. In 1884 he sent her to study at an art school for women in Berlin, followed by study in Munich. This was very progressive for the time period.

She married Dr. Karl Kollwitz in 1891, with whom she later had two sons. They moved to an impoverished section of Berlin where his practice served its needy residents. As a result, she was constantly surrounded by hardship, hunger and death and developed a strong social conscience, which is intensely reflected in her work.

Käthe Kollwitz was influenced by the work of Max Klinger and Edvard Munch. She explored and depicted emotionally charged subjects, including death, war and injustice, in a desire to move ordinary people to action. Her images are often dark and oppressive representations of the revolts and uprisings of contemporary relevance. In contrast, she also captured tender loving moments between mothers and their children.

As a result of the unkindest cut of all, the death of one of her sons in World War I, Kollwitz suffered extreme bouts of depression for the remainder of her life. She is quoted as having said that "Drawing is the only thing that makes life bearable.

"Best known for her etchings, Käthe Kollwitz also explored lithography, woodcut and sculpture. In 1919, she was appointed the first female professor at the Prussian Academy. However, due to her art and political beliefs, she was forced to resign in 1933, when Hitler rose to power. Three years later, some of her works were removed from museums and galleries and she was forbidden to exhibit. In 1943, her home and much of her artwork was destroyed in a Berlin air raid.

Kollwitz was evacuated to Dresden. There she died in 1945 at age 78, without seeing an end to the Second World War, that took the life of a grandson.

  • Dimensions: 6" H x 5 1/2" W (image), 13 1/4" H x 11 3/4" W (frame)
  • Medium: woodcut on wove paper

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October 9, 2021 11:00 AM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

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