Education
He studied German language and literature, history, and art history at the University of Amsterdam from 1932 until 1939 and then taught German and history at the Rijnlands Lyceum in Wassenaar.
art historian university professor
He studied German language and literature, history, and art history at the University of Amsterdam from 1932 until 1939 and then taught German and history at the Rijnlands Lyceum in Wassenaar.
He earned a doctorate under January Romein (1893-1962) in 1948 from the University of Amsterdam and wrote a historiography of the Renaissance. He admired Jacob Burckhardt. In 1953 he became a full professor of art and cultural history at the University of Groningen.