Taking a Stand: Käthe Kollwitz

In her dedication to depicting the oppressed and disempowered, the German artist Käthe Kollwitz showed a lifelong commitment to social justice. Her first graphic series A Weavers’ Revolt (1893–97), which was greatly praised at the Berlin Salon of 1898, is at the heart of this exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich (until 12 November). These works are on show alongside a further 54 drawings, prints and sculptures on loan from the Käthe Kollwitz Museum in Cologne, including pieces such as Never Again War (1924), a poster created for the group Socialist Working Class Youth to mark the tenth anniversary of outbreak of the First World War. Five additional works by the contemporary Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum act both as interventions and as testament to the enduring influence of Kollwitz. Find out more on the Kunsthaus Zurich’s website.

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Sleeping Woman with Child (1929), Käthe Kollwitz. Private Collection

Never Again War (1924), Käthe Kollwitz. Käthe Kollwitz Museum, Cologne

Cube (2008), Mona Hatoum. Photo: Jörg von Bruchhausen; courtesy the Mona Hatoum Foundation; © Mona Hatoum

Self Portrait (1889), Käthe Kollwitz. Käthe Kollwitz Museum, Cologne