Raw, unprettified and decried in conservative circles as “gutter art”: Käthe Kollwitz employed her art uncompromisingly as a political voice for the social and human misery of her time. Her focus always lay on the dignity of humankind. The volume provides a wide-ranging insight into the commitment and creative work of the artist, whose achievements are more topical than ever.

The book covers the entire spectrum of Kollwitz’ creative work with the world-famous cycles of graphic works A Weavers’ Revolt and Peasants’ War, rare proofs and moving drawings and sculptures, thereby showing all facets of her masterful skills. The political dimension of Kollwitz’ art becomes tangible in a particularly impressive manner through her posters. The unbroken validity of her work is demonstrated in a juxtaposition with the interventions by the artist Mona Hatoum (b. 1952), which revolve around topics such as vulnerability, persecution and the experience of conflict.