Ernst Barlach - Käthe Kollwitz

No more war! This poster by Käthe Kollwitz from 1924 became an icon of the global peace movement. A sad icon against the backdrop of ongoing wars and humanitarian disasters.

The suffering of people is immeasurable. That is what the works in the exhibition by Ernst Barlach and Käthe Kollwitz speak of. Their art is an expression of compassion and social conscience.

The First World War, the horror of a so far unknown technical and industrialised warfare, were the reason to dedicate their artistic work intensively to the public dialogue for peace. In the crisis-ridden 1920s, their art was an expression of people's fears, doubts and worries. In the end, Barlach and Kollwitz became the targets of anti-democratic agitation: their works were banned and they themselves became discredited witnesses of the Nazi dictatorship.

Today, 100 years later, our society is facing similar challenges: Climate, economic, migration and supply crises are leading to uncertainty and polarisation. Democracies around the world are under pressure and their quality is under threat. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is jeopardising the entire European security architecture and has brought the fragility of the international order to the centre of Europe.

The exhibition reflects the current crises and is conceived as a space for thinking about a peaceful future. It is directed against all forms of military, nationalist, ideological and chauvinist violence. Peace can only be established if, as Kant was probably the first to formulate it, we recognise the earth as our common border and ensure that we can live on it in justice and freedom. From a historical perspective, the exhibition takes up the current discourse on war and peace and offers an active intellectual debate in conceptual stations on the question of whether and how a peaceful world is possible at all.

Context films projected in the rooms, interactive apps, a children's gaming programme, writing and dialogue stations accompany the exhibition of works by Ernst Barlach and Käthe Kollwitz. The historical items of Soltau Toy Museum from Wolfgang Morawe's collection show how children have already been armed with military equipment and children's rooms have been upgraded.

Barlach Kunstmuseum Wedel

Open: Wednesday to Sunday: 11 am to 6 pm

Admission prices:

10 Euro p. p. / reduced for students and groups of 10 persons or more 8 Euro p. p.

Guided tours by arrangement: 120 euros in addition to the admission price

Registered school classes 3 euros per person // School classes from Wedel have free admission.