Peter de Ruiter is Assistant Professor Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Groningen. After completing a degree in Art History and Archeology at Utrecht University, he obtained a PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2000, researching the work of the eminent Dutch art critic and museum director A.M. Hammacher. Since 1999 De Ruiter is on the editorial board of the publication series Monografieën van Nederlandse Kunstenaars (Monographs of Dutch Artists). He is currently the project leader and editor in chief of Kunstkritiek in Nederland, 1885-2010, a series of publications examining the development and main topics of art criticism in The Netherlands. The first books in this series will be published next year.