Home > World War I > Käthe Kollwitz Biography

July 8, 1867
Königsberg, East Prussia
April 22, 1945
Moritzburg, Germany

Artist, humanitarian

During a career that lasted more than sixty years, Prussianborn Käthe Kollwitz created a large number of prints and drawings that earned her a reputation as one of the most important graphic artists of her era. Some of her works depict the impact of World War I on women and children and make a powerful statement about the horror of the war. Kollwitz was the daughter of liberal parents who instilled in her a lifelong hatred of militarism (the buildup of military power by governments) and social injustice. Kollwitz created works that reflected her concern for the oppressed, especially the suffering people in her own country. Among her earliest and most famous works was a series of prints titled A Weavers' Uprising, (1897) inspired by German writer Gerhart Hauptmann's drama...