‘Second Renaissance’

As one of the leading centres for studying the interaction of ideas, images and society, the influence of the Warburg Institute can be seen throughout the world. Now the Institute is embarking on an architectural and intellectual transformation of its home, known as the Warburg Renaissance, to secure its future and help it reach new audiences.  

Part of the University’s School of Advanced Study, the Warburg Institute is dedicated to the survival and transmission of culture across time and space, with a special emphasis on the afterlife of antiquity. Its origins lie in Hamburg, where it was established at the end of the nineteenth century as the privately funded library of Aby Warburg (1866-1929), the scholarly heir to one of Germany’s great banking families. In 1913, Warburg was joined by Fritz Saxl (1890-1948) who, in 1921, turned the library into a research institute. When it was created, it attracted Germany’s best scholars, and the Institute’s pioneering work has continued to inspire some of the world’s most influential academics, curators and artists.

From Hamburg to Bloomsbury 

In 1933, when the Nazis rose to power, the Institute’s collections and staff were evacuated to London. Thanks to the support of the Warburg family, the art collector Samuel Courtauld and others, the Warburg Institute would become the only academic institution saved from Nazi Germany to survive intact in Britain. The Warburg was given in trust to the University of London in 1944 and in 1958, the Institute moved to its permanent home in the heart of Bloomsbury. Like many other buildings on the University of London estate, the Warburg Institute was designed by Charles Holden – also known for his work on many London Underground stations and the former headquarters of the London Underground, 55 Broadway.

Restoring its original vision

The Warburg Renaissance is driven by a complete renovation of its much-loved but long-neglected building, and a need to create a more open, accessible space to engage a wider audience. However, the project goes beyond a building redevelopment. When the Institute was first conceived, Aby Warburg imagined a place for display, as well as research. A new  public hub will revive this early emphasis, creating the Warburg’s first space for experimental exhibitions, both physical and digital, where students and visitors can explore Aby Warburg’s pioneering work on images. This will include a touch-screen version of his Bilderatlas Mnemosyne, his legendary project to map the migration of visual symbols from antiquity to the present. 

Above all, the Warburg Renaissance will bring Aby Warburg’s original vision to life and renew the Institute’s founding mission, applying it to contemporary cultural, political and social understanding. “Our bold aim now is to open up our work and make connections, providing new spaces and tools for using cultural memory to shape our future,” said Professor Bill Sherman, Director of the Warburg Institute. “We want to make the Warburg easier to find and more comfortable to use, enhancing the Institute’s academic resources and public offerings, and creating new facilities for special collections, exhibitions and events.”

Transformational support 

The Warburg Institute is ever closer to realising these exciting ambitions and embarking on this visionary redevelopment, thanks to the generous support of a number of individuals, trusts and foundations. 

In early 2019, the Warburg announced a £1million lead donation from the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung, a Hamburg-based foundation. Most recently, in spring 2021, the Institute was honoured to receive a subsequent gift of £2million from the foundation towards the project. Combined with the initial gift, this represents the largest donation ever made to the central University of London. 

Professor Sherman said, “The gift will not only help us to reimagine the Warburg Institute in London for the next generation, but it will reconnect us with our roots in Hamburg at a time when Anglo-German partnerships are more important than ever.”

The Institute was honoured to host Mr Hermann-Hinrich Reemtsma, the foundation’s founder, members of the Reemtsma family and representatives from the foundation, on a visit to London in summer 2019. This was the last trip Hermann-Hinrich made before he died in 2020, and the £2million gift was pledged in tribute to Hermann-Hinrich, whose support and enthusiasm for the project was evident during the visit. The Institute and the University are sincerely grateful to the Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung for its unprecedented generosity.

Bernhard Reemtsma, chairman of Hermann Reemtsma Stiftung and son of Hermann-Hinrich Reemtsma, said: “We are deeply grateful that the University of London gave Aby Warburg’s world-famous library a safe home and a new life after its emigration from Hamburg. Now this fine building by Charles Holden is in need of refurbishment and extension. The project will enable the Warburg Institute to continue and to advance its commitment to the understanding of cultural relations in the past, present and future. That is why my father was determined to visit, and to make a contribution from Hamburg to this second renaissance.”

Visit the Warburg Renaissance website to learn more.