The great-grandson of Käthe Kollwitz as a guest at the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Berlin

The Käthe Kollwitz Museum Berlin is celebrating the opening of its new exhibition rooms on the first floor of the theatre building with a special highlight. As its first special exhibition, the museum is showing works by the renowned ceramics master Jan Kollwitz. The artist was already a guest at the museum’s former location in Fasanenstraße, and now, as the great-grandson of our namesake, he has the honour of inaugurating the new exhibition rooms in the theatre building.

From July 5 to July 13, 2025, the exhibition presents expressive ceramics by the artist, accompanied by photographs taken in his workshop in the Holstein monastery village of Cismar on the Baltic Sea. These show him at work and offer insights into his creative world.

The presentation provides fascinating insights into traditional Japanese ceramic production techniques. Jan Kollwitz will be present in person for the entire duration of the exhibition and will be available for discussions – a great opportunity to get to know the artist.

Jan Kollwitz has been producing timeless ceramics in his studio in Cismar since 1988. The colours and glaze on the ceramics are created during the four-day firing in the Anagama wood kiln at temperatures above 1250 degrees Celsius.

The artist is one of the few German ceramicists who create a link between European ceramic art and Far Eastern traditions through transcultural approaches and the preservation of authentic firing techniques.

Jan Kollwitz first came into contact with Japanese works during his three-year apprenticeship with the well-known ceramist Horst Kerstan in Kandern in the Black Forest. It was here that the desire to learn this completely different approach from scratch matured. His path led him to Echizen, one of Japan’s traditional pottery towns, where he spent two years as an apprentice to master potter Yutaka Nakamura, which has had a formative influence on his artistic work to this day.

His works are represented internationally in important museum collections, including the Fine Arts Museum in Boston, the British Museum in London, the Grassi Museum in Leipzig and the Museo Nacional de Cerámica in Valencia.

Further information on the work of Jan Kollwitz: https://www.jankollwitz.de

On Sunday, July 13, 2025, at 11:00, the finissage will take place with a lecture by Jan Kollwitz. He will talk about the background to his work, the fascinating world of Japanese ceramics and his artistic passion.

With this special exhibition, we are also celebrating the birthdays of Käthe Kollwitz (8 July) and Jan Kollwitz (4 July).