Gombrich, Ernst (Hans Joseph) (1909-2001)

Austrian-born British art historian. One of his abiding concerns was the problems of content and symbolism in painting. His studies are deeply analytical and make connections with other fields, such as the psychology of perception. Among his works are The Story of Art (1950; revised 1995), written for a popular audience, and Art and Illusion (1959).

Born in Vienna, he came to Britain in 1936 to work at the University of London Warburg Institute, where he was director 1959-76. His books include Meditations on a Hobby-Horse (1963), Norm and Form (1966), and Symbolic Images (1972). He was knighted in 1972.