Warburg Institute library in London risks dispersal

As was the case in 2010, the library of the Warburg Institute in London is in danger of being dispersed these days. But before we delve into the news, let us understand what the Warburg Institute is, and what its importance is. It is a research institute (websiteat this link ) that works in the field of humanistic culture and was founded in 1921 in Hamburg by the German art historian Aby Warburg (here on Windows on Art, Ilaria discussed one of his most important works, The Rebirth of Ancient Paganism). The institute, which drew its origins from Aby Warburg’s immense personal library (which is still the flagship of the institute, consisting today of 350,000 volumes, among which many are rare, if not unique, and ancient, and representing one of the world’s most important libraries for classical studies), after the rise of Nazism, was transferred in 1934 (i.e., five years after Warburg’s death) from Hamburg to London, and in 1944 was incorporated into the University of London.

The Warburg Institute’s headquarters in London Photo: Stephen McKay

Last June 19, an article by Jack Grove published in Times Higher Education explains what is happening in London: basically, there is a dispute between the University and the Institute. In fact, in 1944, when the Institute was incorporated into the University, a trust deed was drawn up (barely a page long, as an article by Nick Clark in theIndependent explains, where the matter is broadly described) saying that the Institute’s library collection was to be preserved in perpetuity and as an independent unit: however, the University would like to rediscuss these terms because, we learn again from Times Higher Education, the Institute would have a deficit of £500,000 a year. It appears, however, that this annual debt originated when, in 2007, the University decided to dramatically increase its charges for occupying the space where the Institute is located, as we learn from a 2010 article in The Art Newspaper, authored by Anna Somers Cocks. However, only in the fall will the court rule on the validity of the 1944 agreement.

Should the University prevail, this could lead to the dispersal of the Warburg Institute’s library: many of its volumes could in fact be destined for the Senate House Library, according to the University’s plans, and many others who knows what path they might take. And this, of course, will be at the expense of the criteria by which the library was created and ordered by its founder and those who continued his work. And in addition, practical problems will also arise, because the present library is open to everyone and almost all books are accessible to anyone, while in the event of dispersal it is feared that the books of the Warburg Institute will be accessible only by request.

As mentioned at the outset, the library had already risked the same end in 2010, but the institute’s director, Peter Mack, managed to save it momentarily: now, however, the same situation arises again. Meanwhile, a group of scholars and ordinary citizens who care about the library’s independence have launched a petition on Change.org. Essentially, it calls on the University of London to withdraw the legal action to rediscuss the 1944 document, for three reasons:

1. To keep the Warburg Institute’s library collection intact;
2. To preserve Aby Warburg’s intellectual legacy, since the system of book classification, invented by Aby Warburg himself, is unique in the world, and to destroy it would be to destroy a unique work, as well as the memory of one of the greatest scholars of art and classical traditions in history;
3. To keep alive the community of those who frequent the library, which over the years has welcomed so many scholars from all over the world.

And for our part, as art lovers and popularizers, we can only welcome the requests of the Institute’s friends: to disperse a collection that is still intact, and indeed enhanced over the years by the work of those who carried on Aby Warburg’s ideas, would be an irresponsible act, which really would not do credit to a university like London’s. It is a cultural heritage of the highest importance, and we hope that the University of London may reconsider its intentions.

Federico Giannini - Ilaria Baratta

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