The Swiss-born artist Albert von Keller (1844-1920) was a founding member of the Munich Secession, one of Europe's most influential artists' associations. Highly regarded as an artist in both Europe and America at the turn of the last century, Keller was a flamboyant figure known for his fascination with the occult.

Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker places Keller's modern treatment of enigmatic subjects within the cultural mileau of "fin de siecle" Germany, particularly the investigation of the occult undertaken by scientists, artists andintellectuals. She also documents for the first time the critical reception to Keller's work in America, tracing the artist's participation in exhibitions in Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, New york, and Saint Louis and his presence in important private collections of German art in America. Swiss art historian Gian Casper Bott examines each painting by Keller in depth and places the artist's works in the art-historical context of the era. The book includes magnificent color reproductions of Keller's paintings from the collection of the Kunsthaus Zurich. It includes key works by Keller from the late 1870s to the beginning of the First World War, a period that coincided with the scandal of his elopement with the beautiful banker's daughter Irene von Eichthal, the tragic death of his only child, and the death of his wife only months later in a state of profound grief.

Setting up a still life may take no more than gathering a few objects on a table, but infusing its depiction with depth, texture, feeling, and even beauty takes great skill. The origins of the still life can be traced back at least to classical antiquity (such wall paintings have been found in the ruins of Pompeii) but the genre's name wasn't coined until the 17th century in Holland, a few centuries after it was re-popularized during the Renaissance. This book explores a stimulating selection of still lifes from the 15th century to the modern day, revealing the historical importance and creative possibilities of this genre.The featured artists include: Meister der Maria von Burgund, Ludger tom Ring the Younger, Annibale Carracci, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Juan Sanchez Cotan, Jan Bruegel the Elder, Frans Snyders, Pieter Claesz Rembrandt, Sebastian Stoskopff, Jan Fyt, Evaristo Baschenis, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Willem Kalf, Otto Marseus van Schrieck, Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Jean-Simeon Chardin, Luis Eugenio Melendez, Theodore Gericault, Eugene Delacroix, Adolph Menzel, Edouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, John Haberle, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio De Chirico, Giorgio Morandi, Chaim Soutine, Salvador Dali, Daniel Spoerri, and Gerhard Richter. Each book in TASCHEN's "Basic Genre Series" features: a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period; and a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a reference work, portrait of the artist, and/or citations.