Rudolf von Keller
London: Rudolf von Keller, 1993.

Archive of late 1980s / early 1990s homoerotic prints by Rudolf von Keller, sent to Jurgen Boedt, editor of the Belgian fetish magazine Secret, in the original postmarked envelope from London to Brussels. One of the two signed typed letters lists the contents of the packet as sent: the artist’s biography, advertising card, catalogue and price list, 8 sets of A4 posters (some in series of 3, others of 4), and 4 greeting cards. Of these, one three-poster series and one greeting card are absent from the surviving archive, while a second packet of A3 posters, also described in the letter, is no longer present. The artwork features hardcore homoerotic themes centred on leather, BDSM, and sadomasochism. Von Keller’s biographical note describes him as born in the late 1940s and educated in Germany, England and the Netherlands, before studying fine art at a college in the English Midlands. After working as a freelance designer while travelling Europe, he returned to the family jewellery business, but continued to produce fetish and BDSM drawings, watercolours, and paintings for a private circle. A series of exhibitions brought this work to a wider audience, leading to print reproduction and, in late 1990, his first ‘Artwork’ catalogue (included here), offering posters, cards, and limited edition prints. The operation was based in London, with a small studio later opened in Amsterdam for developing new work; the note describes him dividing his time between the two cities and a family home in the Rhineland.