Calendar

Venue:
Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz
Theaterplatz 1
09111 Chemnitz


From 7 May to 30 August 2026, the Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz are showing the exhibition Traces of Proximity. Käthe Kollwitz and contemporary photography. The focus is on the dialogue between the work of Käthe Kollwitz and current artistic positions, which impressively demonstrates the continuing relevance of her themes.

The starting point for the exhibition is the museum's own extensive collection, from which a comprehensive presentation of the artist's work is being created for the first time in almost four decades. On display are drawings as well as etchings, lithographs and woodcuts from the years 1892 to 1938, with central groups of works such as A Weavers' Revolt, Peasants' War and War alongside self-portraits, portraits of workers and depictions of mothers and children. The exhibition also includes works on loss and death as well as social and political motifs and posters. The presentation is complemented by reliefs and sculptures from the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Berlin.

The exhibition is being organised in cooperation with Heidi Specker's photography class at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. The students have intensively analysed Kollwitz' visual world and developed their own artistic works from it. Photographs, graphics and sculptural and film installations take up central themes such as self-expression, the body, motherhood, war, violence and protest and translate them into the present.
the present.

Käthe Kollwitz is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Her work is characterised by a haunting, unmistakable visual language and a deep interest in people. Against a backdrop of personal loss and historical upheaval, she explored existential experiences, social inequality and human vulnerability.
Born in Königsberg in 1867 and influenced by a liberal family, Kollwitz developed her artistic expressiveness at an early age. Her life was closely linked to the political and social changes in Germany, from the German Empire to the Weimar Republic and the National Socialist era. She left Berlin in 1943 and died in Moritzburg near Dresden in 1945.



Events accompanying the exhibition
Opening of the exhibition
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 18:30 hrs

Lectures
Wednesday, 27 May 2026, 6:30 pm
The art of investigation. Insights into the work of German art investigators
René Allonge, First Chief Superintendent Police Berlin

Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 6:30 pm
A voice in pictures. Käthe Kollwitz and the claim to make an impact
Katharina Koselleck, Director of the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Cologne

Saturday, 9 May 2026, from 6 pm (as part of the Museum Night)
Live speaker from the photography class - Academy of Visual Arts
Book Art

Artist Talk
with Heid Specker and students from the photography class
Sunday, 21 June 2026, 2 pm
Sunday, 19 July 2026, 2 pm

Guided tours by curators
Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 4:30 pm
Wednesday, 15 July 2026, 4:30 pm
Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 4:30 pm

Guided tours for families
Sunday, 10 May 2026, 13-14:30
Sunday, 12 July 2026, 13-14:30
Sunday, 30 August 2026, 13-14:30

Public guided tours
Sundays, 14:30

Public guided tours in English
Saturday, 6th June 2026, 1 pm
Saturday, 1st August 2026, 1 pm

Public guided tours in Mandarin 中文
2026年6月28日(週日)下午2點E↩ (Sunday, 28 June 2026, 2 pm)
2026年7月19日(週日)下午4點 (Sunday, 19 July 2026, 4 p.m.)

Combination offer
In the footsteps of Käthe Kollwitz
In this two-part combined offer, you will learn about Käthe Kollwitz' favourite printmaking techniques in themed tours of the exhibition. In the second part, you can try out the techniques of lithography and etching in the print workshop under the guidance of Anatoli Budjko. The themed tour and workshop can also be booked separately.

Themed tours
Artistic printing techniques with Käthe Kollwitz
Friday, 29 May 2026, 16:30 hrs
Friday, 5 June 2026, 16:30 hrs
Friday, 19 June 2026, 16:30 hrs
Friday, 26 June 2026, 16:30 hrs

Workshops
Practical introduction to lithography
Saturday, 30 May 2026, 1 pm - 4 pm
Saturday, 6 June 2026, 13-16 hrs

Practical introduction to etching
Saturday, 20 June 2026, 1-4 p.m.
Saturday, 27 June 2026, 1-4 p.m.

The workshops take place in the DRUCKSTOCK workshop:
Erzbergerstr. 2, 09116 Chemnitz