Arnold Böcklin was born in Basel on October 16, 1827. He was a Swiss Symbolist painter best known for his evocative series “Isle of the Dead,” which drew on personal loss and experience. Although he spent significant periods working in Rome and Munich, he returned to Basel in 1866 to complete frescoes and portraits, reinforcing his lifelong connection to the city. After his death in 1901 his reputation declined, but his influence on later artists and composers remained substantial, and several of his works are held in the Kunstmuseum Basel.