In 1905, Edvard Munch (1863-1944) painted several portraits of the family of the Chemnitz textile industrialist Herbert Esche. Most of these works have long been on permanent loan from the Herbert Eugen Esche Foundation at the Kunsthaus Zürich. In 2015, another central piece from the group, the portrait of Hanni Esche, the mother, was acquired—this work marks a milestone in the development of Munch's mature colorful style. The paintings were created for the famous Villa Esche, which was built for the family by the Belgian master of Art Nouveau, Henry van de Velde, in 1902/03. The book presents and explains Munch's Esche portraits and documents their place in the Chemnitz villa through photography. It also illustrates the context of the family collection, which forms a paradigmatic ensemble for avant-garde taste around 1900, a rarity that has seldom been preserved.