Self-Portrait (Selbstbildnis)
1927
Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 64.5 x 45 cm (25 3/8 x 17 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Gray
Accession Number
1985.19.1
Art Historical Context
Käthe Kollwitz'sSelf-Portrait (Selbildnis)* of 1927 is a lithograph that captures the German artist's unflinching gaze at age 60. Born in 1867, Kollwitz rose to prominence as a leading figure in Expressionism, a movement emphasizing raw emotion and social realism over idealized beauty. Her works often depicted the hardships of the working class, war's toll, and women's struggles—themes drawn from her own life amid Germany's turbulent Weimar Republic era, marked by economic strife and political unrest. This self-portrait exemplifies her lifelong fascination with introspection, presenting a seri...
About the Artist
Käthe Kollwitz
Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945) was a German artist whose powerful images of poverty, war, and maternal grief established her as the foremost practitioner of socially engaged art in early 20th-century Europe. Working primarily in printmaking—including etching, lithography, and woodcut—as well as drawing and sculpture, Kollwitz created works of raw emotional power that gave voice to the suffering of wor...