When Kollwitz created this self-portrait, she was thirty-seven years old and one of the most acclaimed artists in Germany. In an art world dominated by men and centered on painting, she forged her own path, developing a printmaking practice that focused on the plights of women. Here she presents herself in stark, almost sculptural terms, with dramatic highlights on her face that allow it to emerge from the dark blue background. Her forthright gaze projects determination and an emotional depth that is the hallmark of her work. “I want to be true, genuine, and undyed,” she wrote.

Gallery label from

2022

Medium Crayon and pen lithograph, printed in three colors
Dimensions composition (irreg.): 17 5/16 × 13 3/8" (44 × 34 cm); sheet: 18 7/8 × 13 3/8" (47.9 × 34 cm)
Publisher unpublished
Printer probablyKäthe Kollwitz
Edition one of eleven known proofs (states I – II)
Credit Jointly owned by The Museum of Modern Art, New York (The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Endowment for Prints, and gift of Jack Shear, Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin, Alice and Tom Tisch [in honor of Marlene Hess], Kathy and Richard S. Fuld, Jr., Emily Rauh Pulitzer, Maud I. Welles, Ronnie Heyman [in honor of Marlene Hess], and Carol and Morton Rapp) and Neue Galerie New York (Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder)
Object number 371.2021
Department Drawings and Prints

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Käthe Kollwitz

Käthe Kollwitz

German, 1867–1945 49 works online

Born in the Prussian city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1867, Käthe Kollwitz established herself in an art world dominated by men by developing an aesthetic vision centered on women and the working class.

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