An exhibition like a fist punch

I have rarely been so moved by paintings as by the German sculptor, graphic artist and draughtswoman Käthe Kollwitz, which are currently on show at the Kunsthaus Zürich. The exhibition "Taking a Stand" leads through Kollwitz's artistic oeuvre in 9 stations until 12 November 2023. The very expressive works are flanked by installations by contemporary artist Mona Hatoum.

Whether anger, grief or the insanely precise observation of a scene: Kollwitz's work is so personal, precise and close to life that some of the pictures almost hurt to look at. A self-portrait in which the artist looks at the viewer in an incredibly tired and hopeless way moves me deeply, it seems so alive.

The preliminary studies and sketches, which the Kunsthaus skilfully juxtaposes with the final versions, are particularly exciting. How "Woman with Dead Child" developed, what considerations and revisions Kollwitz made, what materials and techniques she used, all this becomes visible and understandable. And it is only through this history of the work's creation that it becomes clear how adept Kollwitz was in various techniques such as etching, lithography and woodcut.

"I want to have an effect in this time" - this statement is inextricably linked to Käthe Kollwitz's work, writes the Kunsthaus. The artist experienced two world wars, in the first of which she lost her son Peter, who had enlisted as a volunteer. With her art, she was committed to socio-political, humanitarian and pacifist causes. She shows the suffering that war always causes with an unembellished force. The poster "Nie wieder Krieg" (Never again war), which she produced in 1924 for the Central German Youth Day in Leipzig, and the woodcut cycle "Krieg" (War) are among her best-known works.

Kollwitz's sensitive works enter into a dialogue with installations by the Palestinian-British artist Mona Hatoum. An oversized rosary made of cannonballs lies there or steel cages reminiscent of prisons in which red glass objects are locked up. Both artists take a clear stand. On the war, on society, on the problems of their time. An exhibition about two courageous women who move.