Profile

I hold degrees in both art history and architecture, from Denmark and the USA respectively. This broad educational background and curiosity are reflected in both my research areas and my 15 years of teaching experience in Denmark and abroad. I have researched architecture for over a decade, focusing primarily on modern and postmodern architecture and urban planning. One key outcome of this research is the book Nelson Goodman and Modern Architecture: A Belated Encounter (Routledge, 2024).

Additionally, I have explored figures such as Robert Venturi & Denise Scott Brown, Rem Koolhaas, and Bjarke Ingels across various articles and book chapters, emphasizing the complex intersections of visual culture and architecture since postmodernism. I have also been intrigued by the relationship between biology and architecture, which features prominently in my contributions to The Contested Territory of Architectural Theory (Routledge, 2022) and A Cultural History of the Avant-Garde in the Nordic Countries Since 1975 (Brill, 2022). Furthermore, I am an expert in the relationship between architecture, monumentality, and collective memory.

Since 2021, I have added a new dimension to my research: emotions in art, including genre painting. One project involved a comparative study of genre painting from the Dutch Golden Age (1618–1672) and the Danish Golden Age (1801–1864). In collaboration with the Nivaagaard Collection, this project culminated in spring 2024 with Denmark’s largest-ever exhibition of Dutch art and the most extensive genre painting exhibition in Danish history. Loans from institutions such as the Rijksmuseum, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, the Royal Collection, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Fondation Custodia, Nationalmuseum, Kremer Collection, and Leiden Collection enabled an exceptionally rich exhibition featuring 117 works, with Wayne Franits as a visiting guest lecturer.

Current Research

Currently, I am focusing on the next phase of my research on genre painting. Thanks to a grant from the New Carlsberg Foundation, I am dedicating 2025 to writing a book about genre painting as a phenomenon across European schools. Concepts such as empathy, immersion, image theory, and imagination are key themes guiding this project.

In parallel, I am publishing articles on emotional aspects of art more broadly, particularly exploring the intersection of art history and neuroaesthetics.

Together with my colleague Panagiotis Farantatos, I am co-organizing the next major conference for the European Architectural History Network (EAHN), which will be held in Aarhus in June 2026. A significant portion of my time is devoted to preparing for this exciting event.

Additionally, I serve as an external examiner at both universities and architecture schools.