Kathe Kollwitz was an outstanding draftsman amongst the Berlin Expressionists, whose images of the suffering of her fellow men in the early part of the twentieth century amount to the most poignantly sensitive works amongst all the Expressionists artists.Born in Konigsberg in East Prussia (now Kaliningrad in Russia) to a family with both evangelical Christian and socialist connections, she was encouraged by her father to study art, first in Berlin then in Munich.In 1891 she married Karl Kollwitz, a doctor.Early influences were Max Klinger, and Wilhelm Leibl, then in the 1890's her discovering of the works of Edvard Munch, showed her how to handle emotionally charged works.Kollwitz concentrated from an early stage on drawing and printmaking rather than on painting.Her younger son Peter was killed at the beginning of the First World War, and this had a shattering effect on her.Her horror of war, and her experience of poverty and suffering within Germany in the post war years led to the most striking images. Whilst remaining a Socialist she became sympathetic to the Communist cause. She was forced to resign from the Berlin Academy in 1933 and certain of her works were confiscated, although she was never classed as degenerate.Kollwitz died on 22 April 1945, a few days before the end of the Second World War.