James Loeb Lecture 2026: Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and the beginnings of aesthetics

We are pleased to invite the members of the Harvard Club of Munich to the James Loeb Lecture 2026.

Established in 2016, the Loeb Lecture pays intellectual tribute to James Loeb (1867 New York-1933 Munich), who was a Harvard alumnus, patron of the arts, scion of a Jewish German-American family of bankers, and who spent the latter half of his life in Bavaria. He is the founder of the Loeb Classical Library, a revolutionary collection that translated ancient Greek and Latin literature into English, and was an avid art collector. The Loeb Lecture is an annual event featuring renowned speakers in the classics, and is sponsored by the Harvard Club of Munich, in cooperation with the James Loeb Club, Hochried, and the Central Institute for Art History (Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte), Munich.

This year's speaker is Prof. Dr. Damian Dombrowski, Director of the Martin von Wagner Museum at the University of Würzburg and a professor at the university’s Institute of Art History. Dr Dombrowski will speak on Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and the beginnings of aesthetics. Please see the details on the event page for the Central Institute for Art History.

The lecture will take place on Wednesday, 25 November from 18:15 to 20:00 at the Central Institute for Art History, Library Reading Room, 1. OG, Katharina-von-Bora-Straße 10, 80333 München.

Participation is free. The event will be streamed simultaneously via Zoom. Recording the event or any part of it, as well as taking screenshots, is not permitted. By participating, you agree to these terms of use.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, 25 November!

Kind Regards,

Vincent James
Board Member, Secretary
Harvard Club of Munich