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Käthe Kollwitz — Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)
Käthe Kollwitz

Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)

A haunting and introspective self-portrait, this bronze sculpture captures Kollwitz's deeply lined and weathered face with raw emotional honesty, reflecting a lifetime shaped by grief, loss, and social struggle. Modeled over a decade and cast in the late 1930s, the work conveys a quiet dignity and unflinching self-examination that became a hallmark of the artist's practice. The somber weight of the casting medium reinforces the gravitas of a woman who bore witness to two world wars and channeled profound human suffering into enduring art.

Medium
model conceived 1926-36, cast from 1937-39

🔨 Auction Lot

Evening & Day Editions

October 26, 2016

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About this work

Käthe Kollwitz, Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait)

A haunting and introspective self-portrait, this bronze sculpture captures Kollwitz's deeply lined and weathered face with raw emotional honesty, reflecting a lifetime shaped by grief, loss, and social struggle. Modeled over a decade and cast in the late 1930s, the work conveys a quiet dignity and unflinching self-examination that became a hallmark of the artist's practice. The somber weight of the casting medium reinforces the gravitas of a woman who bore witness to two world wars and channeled profound human suffering into enduring art.

Medium
model conceived 1926-36, cast from 1937-39
Seen at
Phillips, New York, London, Hong Kong

Related themes

German Artist, Portrait Sculpture, Renowned Artist, Sculpture, Expressionism, Bust Format, Early 20th Century, Early Twentieth Century, Figurative Art, Introspective Mood, Portrait, Self-Portrait, Bronze Cast, Female Artist, Somber Mood

More works by Käthe Kollwitz

Collected by

Cleveland Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago