Käthe Kollwitz doubtlessly was one of the most important artists of the 20th century.
The extremely gifted graphic artist and sculptor always fought for the rights of underdogs and the weak. Just like her husband, who was active in Berlin as a doctor for the poor, Käthe Kollwitz was also steeped in empathy and s strong sense of justice. She wanted her art to be "of purpose", as she put down in her diary in 1922, to be effective in the world and to point to misery and injustice. In masterly drawings, woodcuts, etchings and lithographs, Käthe Kollwitz particularly focused on socio-critical topics, which she depicted with a strong tendency towards Naturalism during her early phase of artistic creation, whereas the years between the wars were dominated by a maternal demeanor. In terms of style, the striking pictorial language of Käthe Kollwitz mark the peak of an realistic Expressionism.
The largest part of Käthe Kollwitz's much-praised oeuvre can be found in Cologne Käthe Kollwitz Museum. Numerous retrospectives and monographies are proof of her work's importance both in terms of art and humanism.