Asylum in the Library: The Method, Madness and Magic of Aby M. Warburg

2001

Aby M. Warburg, influential and idiosyncratic German-Jewish scholar of the early 20th century, saw his library as a site of ritual and creativity. Instead of using it merely as a receptacle for his impressive collection of books and photographs covering such topics as pageantry, astrology and portraiture, the cultural historian used this space to rethink associations and juxtapositions within the discipline of art history.

Curated by Hannah Miller, graduate student in Critical and Curatorial Studies, the UCLA Department of Art, this exhibition presented a model of the main reading room of his library as well as the curator’s explorations of important areas of his research.