Thijs Lijster (1981) studied philosophy at the University of Groningen and the New School for Social Research in New York. In 2012 he received his PhD in philosophy ( cum laude) at the University of Groningen, for a dissertation on Walter Benjamin’s and Theodor W. Adorno’s concepts of art criticism. He lectured on philosophy of art and culture at the Faculties of Philosophy and Arts of the University of Groningen, and the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam. Currently he is assistant professor of philosophy of art and culture at the department of Arts, Culture and Media studies of the University of Groningen. Lijster won several awards: in 2009 he received the ABG/VN Essay prize, in 2010 the Dutch/FlemishPrize for Young Art Criticism, and in 2015 the NWO/Boekman dissertation award. He contributed to books such asConceptions of Critique in Modern and Contemporary Philosophy (eds. De Boer and Sonderegger), Institutional Attitudes andNo Culture, No Europe (ed. Gielen) and was coeditor of De Nieuwe Duitse Filosofie (The New German Philosophy, 2013), De Kunst van Kritiek (The Art of Critique, 2015), and Spaces for Criticism. Shifts in Contemporary Art Discourses (2015). He is also a regular contributor to magazines such as De Groene Amsterdammer and Metropolis M.