Born in 1956 in Schönberg/Holstein. He studied history of arts, ethnology and artistic education. He presented his PhD thesis in 1989 and has been Director of Munich Museum of Photography since 1991. As curator he has been directing numerous monographic and thematic exhibitions on photography. He has been the editor and writer of international publications about the history of photography and contemporary art. Apart from the history of photography exhibitions, he is extensively dealing with the relationship between painting and photography.