In 1820 he was appointed as first director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten) in Amsterdam, and from 1844 to 1847 he was director of the Rijksmuseum which at that time was still housed in the Trippenhuis.
In 1820 he was appointed as first director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten) in Amsterdam, a position he held until his death. From 1844 to 1847 he was director of the Rijksmuseum which at that time was still housed in the Trippenhuis.