Events

Raw, unembellished and decried in conservative circles as ‘gutter art’, the life of Käthe Kollwitz (1867 –1945) was dominated by a tireless political commitment expressed through the resources of art. ‘I want to exert influence in these times’, she writes in one of her celebrated diary entries. This attitude comes through in many of her graphic series, such as ‘A Weavers’ Revolt’ and the ‘Peasants’ War’, which leave us in no doubt about whom she is speaking for and what side of society she is on. With key drawings, rare proof prints and sculptures that have long since become canonical, the exhibition covers the full spectrum of her output. Posters reveal the profoundly political dimension of her art: here, more clearly than in other media, we can see Kollwitz’s enthusiasm for works ‘that exert influence’.