Keller, Albert von
Stigmatization, c. 1908
Oil on canvas
42 x 81 cm
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Stigmata, in Christianity, are the appearance of bodily wounds, scars and pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, such as the hands, wrists and feet. An individual bearing the wounds of stigmata is a stigmatist or a stigmatic. More on Stigmatization
Albert von Keller (27 April 1844 – 14 July 1920) was a German painter of Swiss ancestry. He specialized in portraits and indoor scenes. Female figures are a prominent feature of his work.
Keller was born in Gais, Switzerland. He was one of eight children born to Caroline Keller, who was divorced at the time of his birth. As was customary, she had resumed the use of her maiden name. Her ex-husband's brother may have been his true father. When he was three, after several moves, the family settled in Bayreuth where he attended primary school and took piano lessons. In 1852, his mother became a citizen of Bavaria and, by extension, so did he. Sometime in mid 1854, they relocated to Munich and he was enrolled at the Maximiliansgymnasium [de]. He graduated in 1863 and transferred to Ludwig Maximilian University to study law.
After 1865, he decided to pursue a career in art instead, but spent only a short time at the Academy of Fine Arts. He made numerous study trips throughout Germany, France, Italy and the Low Countries.
From 1867 he worked at several different studios throughout Munich, including that of Arthur von Ramberg, where he drew nude studies. He had his first showing at the Glaspalast in 1869 and became a member of Allotria [de], an artists' association, in 1873.
The frequented the circles of influence and in 1878, he married Irene von Eichthal (1858–1907) (See below), great-granddaughter of the Bavarian Court Banker, Aron Elias Seligmann, Freiherr von Eichthal. Her father was the founder of the Bavarian Mortgage and Exchange Bank. Keller lived at one of Munich's best addresses and was a welcome guest in the most rarefied social circles.
He exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1883, while living in Paris. In 1886, he became a member of the new "Munich Psychological Society"; actually a group devoted to the paranormal, founded by Albert von Schrenck-Notzing. Soon he began representing parapsychological motifs, connected to Christian themes, with visions and hallucinations (See above).
Albert von Keller
Odaliske
Oil on canvas
93 x 73 cm.
Private collection
An odalisque was a chambermaid or a female attendant in a Turkish seraglio, particularly the court ladies in the household of the Ottoman sultan. An odalık was not a concubine of the harem, but a maid, although it was possible that she could become one. An odalık was ranked at the bottom of the social stratification of a harem, serving not the man of the household, but rather, his concubines and wives as personal chambermaids. Odalık were usually slaves given as gifts to the sultan by wealthy Turkish men. Generally, an odalık was never seen by the sultan but instead remained under the direct supervision of his mother, the Valide Sultan. More on An odalisque
Albert von Keller
Female Nude on a Lion Pelt, c. 1920
Oil on board
28 × 38 cm
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Vanity
Oil on canvas
28 x 33 1/4in (71.2 x 84.4cm)
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Reclining Nude on a Fur Pelt
Oil on canvas
15 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches
Private collection
After 1865, he decided to pursue a career in art instead, but spent only a short time at the Academy of Fine Arts. He made numerous study trips throughout Germany, France, Italy and the Low Countries.
Keller, Albert von
The judgment of Paris, c. 1887
Oil on canvas
70.5 x 87 cm (object size)
Swiss Institute for Art Research
The judgment of Paris was a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Olympos--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena--for the prize of a golden apple addressed "To the Fairest."
The story began with the wedding of Peleus and Thetis which all the gods had been invited to attend except for Eris, goddess of discord. When Eris appeared at the festivities she was turned away and in her anger cast the golden apple amongst the assembled goddesses addressed "To the Fairest." Three goddesses laid claim to the apple--Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Zeus was asked to mediate and he commanded Hermes to lead the three goddesses to Paris of Troy to decide the issue. The three goddesses appearing before the shepherd prince, each offering him gifts for favour. He chose Aphrodite, swayed by her promise to bestow upon him Helene, the most beautiful woman, for wife. The subsequent abduction of Helene led directly to the Trojan War and the fall of the city. More on The judgment of Paris
Keller, Albert von (Gais 1844 - 1920 Munich)
Venus, c. 1867.
Oil on canvas
39 x 49 cm
Private collection
Venus is the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, desire, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was revered in Roman religion under numerous cult titles.
The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin literature. In the later classical tradition of the West, Venus becomes one of the most widely referenced deities of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love and sexuality. More on Venus
Keller, Albert von
Study of Witch Burning, c. 1888
Oil on cardboard
58.3 x 45.7 cm (object size)
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
Spiritualistic Transport of a Bracelet, c. 1887
Oil on cardboard
84 x 76 cm
Kunsthaus Zürich
It could be that von Keller and von Max, by choosing female practitioners of the Occult as their subjects, painted modern women whose inner lives not only extended beyond the margins of the frame, but beyond the margins of normative consciousness, to realms impenetrable to the masculine gaze. To refer once again to Mary Douglas’s theories of pollution danger and the permeability of bodily borders, the female medium occupies an inherently sexualized border
space—psychic penetrability mirroring the inherent permeability of the sexual female body. More on this painting
Below are some of Keller’s enigmatic subjects—corpses, séances, dancers in trancelike states, martyred saints, and burning witches—to reveal a potent combination of religious fervor, mysticism, and sensuality.
After Albert von Keller
The raising of the daughter of Jairus
Oil on canvas
106 x 180 cm
Private collection
The episode of the daughter of Jairus is a combination of miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.
The story immediately follows the exorcism at Gerasa. Jairus, a patron or ruler of a Galilee synagogue, had asked Jesus to heal his 12-year-old daughter.
As they were traveling to Jairus' house, a sick woman in the crowd touched Jesus' cloak and was healed of her sickness. Jesus turned round to the woman and said "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace." In Mark's and Luke's version, a messenger arrived with the news that Jairus' daughter had died, and he was advised not to trouble Jesus any further.
Jesus continued to the house, where He "saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly". He informed all those present that the girl was not dead but asleep. He then went upstairs and restored the girl to life. More on this painting
Albert von Keller (German, 1844--1920)
Jairi's daughter, awakening from death , c. 1884
Oil on cardboard
19 x 31.5 cm (7.5 x 12.4 in)
Private collection
Albert von Keller (German, 1844--1920)
Sketch for Salomé
Oil on wood
25 x 35 cm (9.8 x 13.8 in)
Private collection
Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias. She is infamous for demanding and receiving the head of John the Baptist, according to the New Testament. According to Flavius Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, Salome was first married to Philip the Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trakonitis. After Philip's death in 34 AD she married Aristobulus of Chalcis and became queen of Chalcis and Armenia Minor. They had three children. Three coins with portraits of Aristobulus and Salome have been found. Her name in Hebrew meaning "peace". More on Salome
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
The Martyr
Oil on cardboard, circa 1892
30.3 x 38.0 cm
Städel Museum
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
Crucifixion Vision II, circa 1903
Oil on canvas
190 x 241 cm
Deutsch: Kunshaus Zürich
Albert von Keller (German, 1844--1920)
The witch burning , around 1891
Oil on canvas
99 x 150.5 cm (39 x 59.3 in)
Private collection
Albert von Keller (German, 1844--1920)
Witch dance , c. 1875
Oil on wood
17.8 x 21.8 cm (7 x 8.6 in)
Private collection
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
In the Moonlight, c. 1894
Oil on Canvas
150 x 100,5 cm,
I have no further description, at this time
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
La Descente aux Enfers/ Journey to Hell, c. 1912
Oil on canvas
I have no further description, at this time
The frequented the circles of influence and in 1878, he married Irene von Eichthal (1858–1907) (See below), great-granddaughter of the Bavarian Court Banker, Aron Elias Seligmann, Freiherr von Eichthal. Her father was the founder of the Bavarian Mortgage and Exchange Bank. Keller lived at one of Munich's best addresses and was a welcome guest in the most rarefied social circles.
He would eventually paint over forty portraits of her. Their first son died as an infant. Their second son, Balthasar, was born in 1884, but died in 1906, shortly before his mother.
Keller, Albert von
Spring in Paris (Irene von Keller), c. 1882
Oil on canvas
31.5 x 22 cm (object size)
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
Irene von Keller with son Balthasar, c. 1888
Height: 106 cm (41.7 in); Width: 74 cm (29.1 in)
Lenbachhaus, Munich
Keller, Albert von
Irene von Keller, sitting, c. 1890
Oil on cardboard
110 x 84 cm
Swiss Institute for Art Research
He exhibited at the Salon for the first time in 1883, while living in Paris. In 1886, he became a member of the new "Munich Psychological Society"; actually a group devoted to the paranormal, founded by Albert von Schrenck-Notzing. Soon he began representing parapsychological motifs, connected to Christian themes, with visions and hallucinations (See above).
Keller, Albert von
Camilla Eibenschütz, c. 1910
Oil on canvas
72.5 x 49 cm
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Camilla Eibenschütz (July 20, 1884 – July 12, 1958) was a German stage actress. She was known as a collector of art, to decorate her two residences, a country home at Bogensberglehen and a villa at Dahlem. More on Camilla Eibenschütz
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
, The dancer Madeleine, The Dream-Dancer, circa 1904
Oil on panel
41 × 24 cm (16.1 × 9.4 in)
New Pinakothek Gallery, Bavarian State Painting Collections
Dream Dancer, Madeleine from 1904, depicts the Georgian dancer Madeleine Guipet, who von Keller saw perform in Munich and who “astonished audiences with her highly expressive, dancelike movements while in a somnambulant or hypnotic state”. The extreme darkness of the background serves to foreground her contorted body, wrapped in the loose white robes that seem emblematic of the female medium. The cataleptic rigidity of her body, the upraised arm, and the opisthotonic arch of her spine serve as additional bodily signifers of her status. More on this painting
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
The Dream Dancer Madeleine
I have no further description, at this timeFascinated by the mysteries of the human psyche, Albert von Keller is remembered today more for his spectacular subject matter than for his exceptional artistic ability. Keller was a founding member of the Munich Secession, an influential artists’ association, and was highly regarded in Europe and America at the dawn of the 20th century for his “modern” psychological painting. More on this painting
Albert von Keller
Dancing lady
Oil on canvas
143 x 100 cm
Private collection
In 1892, he was one of the co-founders of the Munich Secession and served as Vice President from 1904 to 1920. He was also a board member of the Deutscher Künstlerbund. In 1898, he received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown, which entitled him to use the noble "von" in his name.
Alexandra Feodorovna (6 June 1872 – 17 July 1918) was Empress of Russia from her marriage to Emperor Nicholas II on 26 November 1894 until his forced abdication on 16 March 1917. Originally Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine at birth, she was given the name and patronymic Alexandra Feodorovna when she converted and was received into the Russian Orthodox Church. She and her immediate family were all killed while in Bolshevik captivity in 1918, during the Russian Revolution. In 2000 the Russian Orthodox Church canonized her as Saint Alexandra the Passion Bearer. More on Alexandra Feodorovna
He died on 14 July 1920 in Munich. He and his wife Irene are interred at the Alter Südfriedhof there. More on Albert von Keller
Albert von Keller
Gisella von Wehner with daughter Ilka - around 1906Oil on canvas
Frye Art Museum
Gisella von Wehner was a lady of Munich high society and close friend of the artist
Keller, Albert von
In anticipation (Gisela von Wehner), c. 1911
Oil on canvas
85 x 70.5 cm
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Albert von Keller
In anticipation - 1912 (Gisela von Wehner)Oil on canvas
Frye Art Museum
Albert von Keller (1844–1920)
Crouching Nude (Gisela von Wehner), c. 1906
Oil on Canvas
89.5 x 72.5 cm
Kunsthaus Zürich
Albert von Keller
Lady with a Pearl Earring (Portrait of Gisela von Wehner ), c. 1910
Oil on canvas
33.4 x 27.4 cm
Private collection
Keller, Albert von
Mimi von Ramberg, c. 1881
Oil on canvas
35 x 26 cm
Swiss Institute for Art Research
Mimi von Ramberg was the daughter of fellow artist Arthur Georg Freiherr von Ramberg.
Albert von Keller (German, 1844--1920)
Young woman in black dress
Oil on wood
40 x 31 cm (15.7 x 12.2 in)
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Portrait of Elisabeth von Wichmann
Oil on canvas
66.7x43.2cm.; 26¼x17in.
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Elisabeth von Wichmann Seated, c. 1910
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Baronin Elisabeth von Wichmann, 1910
Oil on canvas
126x100 cm
Private collection
Albert von Keller
Portrait of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918), c. 1894
Oil on panel
32 x 24 cm
Private collection
He died on 14 July 1920 in Munich. He and his wife Irene are interred at the Alter Südfriedhof there. More on Albert von Keller
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