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Scientists can now see an artist’s work “in- process” and perhaps other secrets underneath the surfaces of beloved masterpieces… many of which are hundreds of years old. – Joris Dik

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With a background in Art History, Chemistry and Materials Sciences, Joris Dik brings a unique perspective to the study of paintings and masterworks; combining insights from both the science and the art worlds.

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Joris Dik (1974, Amsterdam) received his secondary education in Aachen, Germany, Den Bosch and The Hague, the Netherlands. He studied art history and classical archaeology at the University of Amsterdam and received his M.A. in 1997. FRom 1995-96 he was a Getty Graduate Intern at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

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After returning to the Netherlands, he graduated with a Ph.D in chemistryin early 2003. He was then hired bythe group of Barend Thijsse to set up a research programme for materials used in art & archaeology. He was promoted to associate professor in 2006. He received full tenure with the University of Delft in May of 2011.

He was recently awarded a seven-figure five year grant by the NWO, which is the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, to continue his significant achievements in advancing the study of art history through science. His most recent accolade is the development of a transportable atomic particle accelerator (synchrotron) for museum use, with Bruker axs. The synchrotron will now permit many of the world’s great masterworks to be examined in situ in the same as many of the artworks in this documentary were examined in public laboratories.

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Watch Dr. Dik in these behind-the-scenes videos on The Prayer Nut, on The Experiments at Brookhaven, Long Island,
The Kroller Muller Museum, and on Hidden Religious Relics.