Kollwitz at the Glitzern und Schicksal

The Galerie Glitzern und Schicksal, at the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Am Nussbaum, is a local gem that often seems to get lost in the shadow of the more well marketed Schloss Museum. So it is a bit of irony that the stirring exhibit of etchings and engravings from contemporary female artist Kathe Kollwitz may be a little obscured in the shadow of the Magritte exhibit that occupies the ground floor. While taking nothing away from the justifiably renowned Belgian surrealist, Kollwitz's dark vision of the war years and their immediate aftermath are powerful and compelling. Perhaps they are tucked away discreetly on the upper floor as a gift to those who climb the stairs.

For those of us who lived through those horrifying years, on whichever side of things, her work is simply impossible to turn away from, however much you may ache to do so. For those who saw The Great War only in newsreels and newspapers, it gives the lie to the increasingly popular notion that war can be noble and valorous. "The Sacrifice" is especially horrific, depicting a mother offering her infant child to the "great cause" of ruin and death.

The next time you are in the neighborhood, take time to stop in to the Galerie for a visit. And climb the stairs.