is a lecturer in General History of Art at the University of Basel and has been Professor of History and Theory of Architecture at Bern University of Applied Sciences. After studying history of art, philosophy and sociology in Basel and Zurich, he completed his doctorate in 1994 with a thesis on urban development in the surroundings of Rome during the High Baroque period. He spent a number of years carrying out research in Rome and London, and then earned his post-doctoral degree in 2002 with a thesis on the theory of Italian art in early modernity. His research interests include Italian art and the theory of early modern art, the history of Swiss art, the history of gestures and expressions, and the history and theory of architecture.