The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Three Studies of a Child (verso)
c. 1930/31
(German, 1867–1945)
Sheet: 49.7 x 64.3 cm (19 9/16 x 25 5/16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
Working in a frank but emotional naturalistic style far different from that of her contemporaries, Käthe Kollwitz depicted a pregnant woman who stands as a universal symbol of human grief. Just a few bold strokes of crayon relay the woman’s despair. After World War I, Kollwitz’s work focused on the sorrows of those left behind: the children, widows, and mothers who underwent loss, physical neglect, and economic hardship. Her focus on grief and despair in this and other works emerged especially after her youngest son, Peter, was killed in the first months of the war.- Private Collection, Boston[Robert M. Light, Boston] (departmental cataloguing sheet); Private Collection, Boston (according to departmental card)
- {{cite web|title=Three Studies of a Child (verso)|url=false|author=Käthe Kollwitz|year=c. 1930/31|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.291.b