"Publisher of Käthe Kollwitz's Printed Work." Publishing imprint founded in 1931 by art dealer Alexander von der Becke, when he took over the inventory of Käthe Kollwitz's unsold prints as well as her printing plates after the bankruptcy of Galerie Emil Richter, Dresden, which had published Kollwitz's prints from about 1910 to 1930. Unlike Richter, von der Becke was unable to secure exclusive rights to publish Kollwitz's future prints, so with very few exceptions, such as her major series Death (executed 1934–37), published reprints of her earlier work in inexpensive, largely unsigned editions. Under the Nazi regime, he suffered from declining sales, as Kollwitz experienced increasing difficulty publishing and exhibiting her work. In 1941 the Gestapo closed his business and confiscated his stock. Reestablished in 1946, and subsequently issued posthumous reprints of the thirty Kollwitz etching plates that survived the war (some in need of repair). After his death in November 1958, wife Johanna and son Bernhard continued the business and opened a branch in Munich in 1963, publishing posthumous Kollwitz reprints until 1972.

Selected Bibliography

Bachert, Hildegard. "Collecting the Art of Käthe Kollwitz. A Survey of Collections, Collectors, and Public Response in Germany and the United States." In Käthe Kollwitz, edited by Elizabeth Prelinger, pp. 117–135. Exh. cat. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1992.

Knesebeck, Alexandra von dem. Käthe Kollwitz: Werkverzeichnis der Graphik. Band I & II. Bern: Kornfeld, 2002.