Marks of Resistance: Käthe Kollwitz Prints

Self Portrait | 1921 | Etching | Erie Art Museum Permanent Collection | In Memory of Dr. Dick Shoemaker

January 29, 2025 - May 2026

Holstein Gallery

Käthe Kollwitz, née Schimdt, (1867-1945) was shaped by the political and social turmoil of Prussia, later Germany, during her lifetime. Her progressive parents, who were advocates of social justice and education, would inevitably impact her artistic path. Initially focused on painting, she was influenced by artist Max Klinger’s (1857-1920) essay, titled Painting and Drawing. Klinger asserted that monochrome media, specifically prints, could better express the artist’s “inner eye” and are well suited for subjects that were drawn from “the darker side of life.” Kollwitz decisively turned to printmaking for its directness, emotional impact, and potential to influence social change.

Uprising (Peasant’s War) | Aufruhr (Bauernkrieg) | 1899 | Etching, drypoint, and aquatint, Erie Art Museum Permanent Collection | In Memory of Dr. Dick Shoemaker

This exhibition was curated by Erie Art Museum staff members Alex Anthes, Laura Domencic, and Jamie Keim-Pomorski. Special thanks to Erie Art Museum interns Molly Begeman and Emily Kozlowski for their assistance with research on Käthe Kollwitz, as well as Bill Mathie, Professor of Printmaking at PennWest University and Director of Egress Press and Research, for his help and printmaking expertise. All printed enlargements were created locally at Mk Film and Digital Lab in Erie.