Käthe Kollwitz - Silent Power

The exhibition focuses on works from Ute Kahl's Cologne collection, which explores the empathy and emotional depth of Käthe Kollwitz's oeuvre. The exhibition presents works in which the artist explores central human emotions such as worry, grief, despair, and apathy. By reducing them to a few figures and dispensing with a historical context, these motifs gain a timeless validity. Even more than a hundred years after their creation, they still directly touch viewers and illustrate Käthe Kollwitz's extraordinary expressiveness.


For collector Ute Kahl, the intense emotional impact of this art was the starting point of her passion: the first work she acquired, The Mothers (1919), became the foundation of an extensive collection. Convinced that these works should not remain hidden but are part of cultural memory, she is now making her collection accessible to the public.


The drawings and proof prints shown in the exhibition provide insights into the artist's meticulous, often self-critical work process and reveal her tireless struggle for expression and truth. This creates intensive access to Käthe Kollwitz's inner world – an invitation to engage with art that challenges, touches, and inspires reflection.


"Silent Power" is aimed at visitors of all generations and particularly appeals to children and young people, who can experience a direct encounter with the emotional depth of Kollwitz's work.


A publication will be published to accompany the exhibition.