Biography

Paul van Laar holds a magna cum laude BSc in Liberal Arts & Sciences (Chemistry & Art History) from Utrecht University, and a cum laude MSc in Technical Art History from the University of Amsterdam. By combining methodologies from fields within both the Natural Sciences and Humanities, he sets out to shed light on processes of making, the historic cross-disciplinary transfer of knowledge, and the tumultuous life of artworks. 

Under supervision of prof. Erma Hermens and prof. Gregor Weber, his master’s thesis focused on the role of optics on Johannes Vermeer’s painting technique. After graduating, Paul worked on several projects in Amsterdam, including Operation Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum. Furthermore, he developed an interactive tool to examine CT and 3D data within cultural heritage, in the NICAS-funded IntACT project and designed an easy-to-query database on 16th-17th century ground layers for the Down to the Ground project.