The Erich Maria Remarque Institute is an institute under the auspices of New York University that focuses on contemporary Europe. It was founded in 1995 and named after the German writer Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front. Remarque's widow, the former film star Paulette Goddard, made a large donation to NYU. The Institute's stated purpose is to "support and promote the study and discussion of Europe, and to encourage and facilitate communication between Americans and Europeans". The institute was launched under the direction of Professor Tony Judt, the historian of modern European thought.