Born 1964 in Mülheim an der Ruhr. Studied art history, philosophy and German language and literature in Trier and Munich; doctorate 1995 at Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität, Munich; 1995 to 2000 research assistant at the Institute of Art History, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt; 2002 to 2004 funding of habilitation on Dutch landscape painting by the Lise-Meitner-Programme (Seminar für Kunstgeschichte, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf); 2004/05 Research Professor at the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University, New York; 2005 to 2007 University Lecturer in Frankfurt; since April 2007 Professor at the Universität der Künste, Berlin. Since October 2014 scientific member and director at the Bibliotheca Hertziana - Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome.