In his authoritative Kantorowicz biography, the American historian Robert E. Lerner tells the story of a great thinker whose life and times were just as fascinating as his writings. Although Ernst Kantorowicz was probably „never really a Monumentist in the proper sense,“ as MGH president Friedrich Baethgen declared in his obituary for him in 1965, he nevertheless maintained close relations with the institution and friendships with many of its members throughout his life.
In an online panel discussion held in the Munich institute of the MGH on December 2, 2021 (under strict observation of the Corona regulations), Dr Thomas Gruber, who recently translated Lerner’s Kantorowicz biography into German, and MGH president Prof. Dr Dr h.c. Martina Hartmann explored the phenomenon Ernst Kantorowicz. 60 international guests from Israel, the United States, England, France, Germany, and Austria, including Prof. Robert E. Lerner himself, profited from the online possibilities enabling them to attend the event.
The guests witnessed an inspiring panel discussion followed by an equally high-level debate in the ensuing open discussion. It was a stimulating evening that may well convince some to take out their volumes of Kantorowicz’ writings from their bookshelves and re-read them.