Featured Image Credit
Käthe Kollwitz, The Mothers (detail), 1922-1923. Woodcut. Granger A. Hollister Fund, 1936.2
The Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester (MAG) will present Käthe Kollwitz: Prints from MAG’s Permanent Collection, an exhibition highlighting the work of an artist who used her art as a powerful commentary on social justice.
On view November 21, 2026, through July 11, 2027, the exhibition explores Käthe Kollwitz’ (1867–1945) mastery of the graphic medium and showcases prints of mothers and children, self-portraits, and politically engaged subject matter. In 1919, Kollwitz was the first woman to be appointed as a professor at the Prussian Academy of Arts. She became the director of the Master Class for Graphic Arts at the same institution several years later. Because the Nazi regime viewed her pacifist ideology as anti-German, Kollwitz was stripped of her teaching positions after Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933. Her art was removed from museums, and she was no longer allowed to exhibit her work publicly.
Kollwitz’ work is enigmatic—conventional and unconventional, conservative and progressive, reflecting the divisions and dichotomy of the time in which Kollwitz lived. Visitors are encouraged to explore the thought-provoking body of work, the themes of which remain strikingly relevant today. Käthe Kollwitz: Prints from MAG’s Permanent Collection is included with general museum admission and will be on view in the Lockhart Gallery November 21, 2026, through July 11, 2027, with admission becoming free on May 1, 2027.
Learn more about the exhibition and purchase admission tickets here.
This exhibition was made possible with support from the MAG Council and Dr. Robert E. Horn.
Paige Engard, Marketing & PR Specialist: 585-474-7695 / pengard@mag.rochester.edu