Käthe Schmidt (Father: Karl Schmidt; Mother: Katharina Schmidt; Spouse: Karl Kollwitz, a physician; Children: Hans and Peter) was one of the most influential and poignant graphic artists of the 20th century. Her work is defined by its deep empathy for the human condition, specifically focusing on the hardships of the working class, the tragedy of war, and the profound bond between mother and child.
Born into a progressive family, Kollwitz studied art in Berlin and Munich. While she initially trained as a painter, she soon realized that her strength lay in black-and-white graphic arts—etching, lithography, and woodcut—believing these mediums were better suited to express the gravity of social struggle. In 1891, she married Dr. Karl Kollwitz, who practiced medicine in a working-class district of Berlin. Observing her husband’s patients provided her with raw, firsthand insight into the poverty and suffering of the urban poor, which became central themes of her work.
She gained early fame with her cycle of etchings, The Weavers’ Revolt (1893–1897), and later The Peasants’ War (1902–1908). Her art took an even more personal and somber turn after her youngest son, Peter, was killed in action during the first week of World War I. This loss transformed her into a dedicated pacifist, leading to her famous woodcut series War (1921–1922) and the memorial sculpture The Grieving Parents.
In 1919, Kollwitz became the first woman to be elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts and was appointed a professor. However, with the rise of the Nazi Party in 1933, she was forced to resign her post, and her work was banned from public exhibition and labeled “degenerate.” Despite the danger, she remained in Berlin, continuing to create until she was evacuated shortly before the end of World War II. She died just days before the German surrender, leaving behind a legacy of art that serves as a universal cry against injustice and suffering.
Active in others filds : Sculpture, Art Education, Political Activism.
