Frederik H. Kreuger

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birth_date = May 14, 1928
birth_place = Amsterdam
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Frederik Hendrik Kreuger (Amsterdam 14th May 1928), is a Dutch high voltage scientist and inventor, lives in Delft, Holland, and is professor emeritus of the Delft University of Technology. He is also a professional author of technical literature, nonfiction books, thrillers and a decisive biography of the master forger Han van Meegeren.

Biography

Frederik H. Kreuger stems from an old Amsterdam family where his maternal grandfather ran a small tobacco factory "Het Wapen van Spanje" in the Weteringstraat, in the old town near the Rijksmuseum. He published a Book [Frederik H. Kreuger: "De Tweede Gouden Eeuw", Veen Magazines, Diemen 2007, ISBN: 9789085711124 ] about his grandfather, this tobacco factory and the explosive development of science and technique in the Belle Époque, the period his grandfather lived.

He was educated in Haarlem HBS B (a bèta-oriented secondary school), took his Engineer's degree at the Delft University of Technology in Holland and received there his Ph.D. degree in 1961. He worked as a high voltage scientist in Sweden, England and Holland. In Holland he was employed by the electrical industry and became later managing director of the "Nederlandse Kabelfabriek" in Delft. In 1986 he became a high voltage professor of his Alma mater in Delft and worked there until 1995.

He is the inventor of several constructions for high voltage cable systems and of equipment for the detection of partial discharges. Some examples are:
*balanced detection of partial discharges (P.D.s) (also called Kreuger bridge)
*discharge standard for partial discharge (P.D.) measurements.
*the (now usual) elastomeric joints in solid H.V. cables (also called bi-manchet)
*the (now usual) elastomeric terminals for solid H.V. cables

His book "Partial Discharge Detection" [ Frederik H. Kreuger: "Partial Discharge Detection." Butterworth, London 1989.] was for twenty-five years the leading text book in this field. He has also published books about "Management and Mismanagement in Research" [Frederik H. Kreuger: "Management and Mismanagement in Research." Alphen aan de Rijn 1972.] and "Disadvantages of Wind Energy". His high voltage laboratory in Delft became a centre of knowledge for partial discharge detection and for the study of Direct current high voltage.

Kreuger is also the inventor of a system for gaining solar power from sea by large floating algea fields producing biofuel (European Patent EP07110895 – 22 june 2007). This project is managed by the Botanical Garden of the Department Biotechnology of the Delft University of Technology; several departments of the University are cooperating herein.

Kreuger made a study of his fellow-townsman Johannes Vermeer and Vermeer’s use of the Camera Obscura. He also published a study about the location where Vermeer might have painted his Little Street (Vermeer). An English translation of this study is present in the Municipal archives of Delft.

Kreuger started in 2001 to study the life of the famous Dutch forger Han van Meegeren. His first book on Van Meegeren was a Dutch novel [Frederik H. Kreuger: "Het bedrog: roman naar het opzienbarende leven van de meestervervalser Han van Meegeren", Quantes Publishers, Rijswijk, 2003.] .

It was translated later on in English as "The Deception" [ Frederik H. Kreuger: "The Deception." Quantes Publishers, Rijswijk 2005. ISBN 90-5959-031-7] , also featuring some sketches about the life of Johannes Vermeer. A short biography "Real life of Van Meegeren" is found at the end of this novel.

Kreuger was in an opportune position to write his biography about Van Meegeren because his native language is Dutch and also because he lived in Holland at the time when Van Meegeren was active. He searched for primary sources – especially in Holland – and added in this way to the knowledge gained by John Godley, 3rd Baron Kilbracken [John R. Godley: "Master Forger. The Story of Han van Meegeren." New York 1951 and "Van Meegeren, Master Forger". New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1967.] , who was a pioneer in this field, and to that of Marie Louise Doudart de la Grée, who interviewed Van Meegeren in 1946 and wrote a Dutch biography [ Marie Louise Doudart de la Grée: "Geen Standbeeld voor Han van Meegeren", De Goudvink, Antwerpen, 1966.] in 1966.

Kreuger was fortunate to meet the last living relatives of Han van Meegeren and also the last surviving witness of his arrest, and he discovered an unpublished biography of Van Meegeren’s son Jacques, containing new information on the artist’s life. Besides he found unknown photographs related to Van Meegeren.

In addition, he revealed paintings under the artist’s own name and he also identified some more fake Old Masters made by Van Meegeren.

In 2004 he published his findings in Dutch in "Han van Meegeren, Meestervervalser" [ Frederik H. Kreuger: "Han van Meegeren, meestervervalser". Diemen, Veen Magazines, 2004. ISBN 90-76988-53-6] , where new facts and newly found works of Van Meegeren were collected.

In 2006 followed "De Arrestatie van een Meestervervalser" [ Frederik H. Kreuger: "De Arrestatie van een meestervervalser". Veen Magazines, Diemen 2006. ISBN 978-90-8571-043-1] , again in Dutch, in which the many reactions on his first biography were incorporated.

The resulting English biography "A New Vermeer. Life and Work of Han van Meegeren" [Frederik H. Kreuger: "A New Vermeer : Life and Work of Han van Meegeren." Quantes Publishers, Rijswijk 2007. ISBN 978-90-5959-047-2] 2007 was named after a notorious article "A New Vermeer" [Abraham Bredius: "A New Vermeer: Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus", Burlington Magazine 71 (November 1937), pp. 210 – 211.] , where the great art-expert Dr. Abraham Bredius praised the Van Meegeren fake "Emmaus" as the finest Vermeer painting ever seen.

Kreuger plays the leading violin in the amateur gipsy orchestra "Siperkov Ensemble". He made a study of Gipsy or Romani music and published a book in Dutch ["Zigeunermuziek." Delftse Universitaire Pers, Delft 1996. ISBN 90-407-1362-6] about the history and perception of Gipsy music. An excerpt of this book appeared as the lemma "Zigeunermuziek" in the Dutch version of Wikipedia [ [http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zigeunermuziek Zigeunermuziek ] ] .

The following article reviews the career of Frederik Hendrik Kreuger and his work in the field of high voltage research:

Morshuis, P.H.F.: "The scientific career of Frederik Hendrik Kreuger". Appears in: [http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=469966 IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation] Oct 1995, Volume 2, Issue 5, pages 711-716.

ee also

*Han van Meegeren

Bibliography (English titles only)

*Frederik H. Kreuger: "Detection and location of discharges: in particular in plastic-insulated high-voltage cables." Doctoral thesis, Delft 1961.
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "Discharge Detection in High Voltage Equipment." Temple Press, London 1964; Japanese translation through Charles Tuttle Co, Tokyo 1968 and illegal translations in Russian and Chinese after 1968.
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "Management and Mismanagement in Research." Alphen aan de Rijn 1972
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "Partial Discharge Detection." Butterworth, London 1989
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "Industrial High Voltage" in three volumes, University Press, Delft 1991, 1992, 1993. AC High Voltage ISBN 90-6275-561-5 and ISBN 90-6275-562-3 and DC High Voltage ISBN 90-407-1110-0
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "The Deception." Quantes Publishers, Rijswijk 2005. ISBN 90-5959-031-7 (This book is a translation of the Dutch novel "Het Bedrog" published by Quantes Publishers 2003. See link # 2)
*Frederik H. Kreuger: "A New Vermeer : Life and Work of Han van Meegeren." Quantes Publishers, Rijswijk 2007. ISBN 978-90-5959-047-2 (See link #2)

Numerous publications for CIGRE ("Conseil International des Grands Réseaux Électrique"), in the Transactions of the IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and many other scientific periodicals.

References

External links

* [http://www.quantes.nl/uit_detail_auteur.php?id_auteur=4 Kreuger’s two English books in Quantes]
* [http://www.veenmagazines.nl/zoekboekencds.lasso Kreuger’s books in Veen Magazines. Search "Kreuger"]
* [http://www.syncoop.com/contents/nl/d27_01.html#p194 Siperkov CD with Syncoop Produkties Records]
* [http://www.meegeren.net/ Website dedicated to Han van Meegeren]
* [http://nl.youtube.com/ YouTube: enter Siperkov in search-box]

Persondata
NAME= Frederik Hendrik Kreuger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Frederik H. Kreuger
ARTIST’S NAME as a VIOLINIST=Siperkov
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Dutch high voltage scientist, professor and professional author
DATE OF BIRTH=14th May 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH= Amsterdam
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=