Henry Zimmer German Indologist and historian of South Asian art. Country: Germany

Biography of Heinrich Zimmer

Heinrich Zimmer was a German indologist and historian of South Asian art. He began his career studying Sanskrit and linguistics at the University of Berlin, which he graduated from in 1913. From 1920 to 1924, he taught at the University of Greifswald, and then moved to the University of Heidelberg, where he became a professor of Indian philology. In 1929, he married Christiane, the daughter of Austrian writer and poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

In 1938, Zimmer was dismissed from his positions by the Nazis and emigrated to England, where he became a professor at Balliol College, Oxford University from 1939 to 1940. In 1942, he relocated to New York, where he was invited to give lectures at Columbia University. During this period, one of his students was Joseph Campbell.

Heinrich Zimmer passed away from pneumonia in 1943. His scholarly method involved studying religious art objects by applying their sacred meanings as a key to understanding their deeper significance. He used Indian philosophy and religious history to interpret art, a practice that went against traditional academic methods. His extensive knowledge of Hindu philosophy and literature, particularly the Puranic and Tantric texts, allowed him to have a deeper understanding of Indian art, an understanding greatly appreciated by Joseph Campbell. Campbell edited and published many of Zimmer's works after his death.

For many years, Carl Jung maintained a close relationship with Zimmer and also edited and published one of Zimmer's works titled "Der Weg zum Selbst" (The Path to the Self). Zimmer and Jung first met in 1932, after which Zimmer, along with sinologist Richard Wilhelm, became one of Jung's few friends. Zimmer is credited with popularizing South Asian art in the West.