Warburg Institute Library Printed Collections

Title: Warburg Institute Library Printed Collections

Description: The Warburg Institute of the University of London exists principally to further the study of the classical tradition, that is of those elements of European thought, literature, art and institutions which derive from the ancient world. The classical tradition is conceived as the theme which unifies the history of Western civilization. The bias is not towards 'classical' values in art and literature: all the strands that link medieval and modern civilization with its origins in the ancient cultures of the Near East and the Mediterranean are represented. It is this element of continuity that is stressed in the arrangement of the library the tenacity of symbols and images in European art and architecture, the persistence of motifs and forms in Western languages and literatures, the gradual transition, in Western thought, from magical beliefs to religion, science and philosophy, and the survival and transformation of ancient patterns in social customs and political institutions.

The Institute stems from the personal library of the Hamburg scholar Aby Warburg 1866-1929, whose research centred on the intellectual and social context of Renaissance art. In 1921 this library became a research institute in cultural history, and both its historical scope and its activities as a centre for lectures and publications expanded. In 1933 it moved from Germany to London to escape the Nazi regime, and in 1944 it was incorporated in the University of London. It is now a member-Institute of the University's School of Advanced Study thus it is a postgraduate research institute and houses an Archive, a Library and a Photographic Collection.The Warburg Institute Library holds approximately 350,000 volumes and 1,500 current periodicals devoted to the history of culture, science, art and religion. It has some holdings on the history of slavery, and cultural perceptions of the Black in art. Of particular note is The Menil Collection, of approximately 6,000 books and photographs supporting the theme of The Black in Western Art.

Strengths: Research resources comprising books and photographs on the theme of: The Image of the Black in Western Art.

Size: Approximately 6,000 books on black cultural history and a photographic archive on the same topic.

Catalogue: lnnopac

Catalogue URL: http://lib.sas.ac.uk

Main URL: http://www.sas.ac.uk/warburg/

Access:

Acquisition dates: circa 1900-Present

Note:

Interest: Black

Complete: Complete

Subjects

Colonialism

Ancient civilizations

Iconography

Art history

Fine arts

Visual arts

European art

Ethnic groups

Photographs

Abolition of slavery

Cultural heritage

Black peoples

Art

Slavery

Personal/Corporate names

Places

Western Europe