Sir Ernst Gombrichs standing in the world of art and his popularity with experts and a vast general readership remain unrivalled. Born in Vienna, he came to London in 1936 to work at the Warburg Institute, where he became director from 1959 until his retirement in 1976. He won numerous honors, including a knighthood, the Order of Merit, and the Goethe, Hegel, and Erasmus prizes.
