Curator, European Painting

The Metropolitan Museum of Art•New York, NY

7d•$120,000 - $165,000

About The Position

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world. At The Met, every staff member – from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond – lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity. Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always. Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued. Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission. Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise—and inspire curiosity and creativity. Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve. The Department of European Paintings is devoted to the study, collection and exhibition of European paintings, to c. 1895. Its world-renowned collection encompasses more than 2,500 works of art, starting from around 1300, about a third of which are 19th-century. Apart from individual masterpieces by Europe’s celebrated artists, the department holds noteworthy strengths in certain areas. In 1889, The Met was the first museum to acquire a painting by Manet. Since then, its collection of nineteenth-century French paintings has developed to a point matched only by the museums of Paris, presenting in depth the art of Cézanne, Courbet, Degas, Manet, Monet, and more works by van Gogh than in any museum outside of the countries in which he lived. In recent years, the department has expanded and diversified its collections. It holds an unrivalled survey of plein-air oil sketches from the decades before Impressionism and expanded acquisitions and display of nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century Northern and Central European art. Its recent acquisition of a painting by Helene Schjerfbeck is the first by that important Finnish artist in an American museum collection. As it grows, the collection reflects our constantly evolving ideas about art history and offers new opportunities for discovery. You are an energetic and visionary curator to oversee and coordinate the entire 19th-century European paintings collection. Working with the Curator in Charge, curators of European paintings and other colleagues throughout the museum working overseeing complementary media, you will be the lead contributor to a planned re-installation of the permanent collection galleries. You will have expertise in 19th-century European art with a particular focus on paintings; will work across departments to generate and coordinate innovative displays and major temporary exhibitions that highlight, complicate, and resituate this landmark period in art history to enrich appreciation and deepen knowledge of canonical movements, while also shedding light on underexplored areas.

Requirements

Ph.D or equivalent in art history, or related area.
10 years of scholarly experience in a museum or academic institution preferred.
Demonstrated experience working with museum collections, including building collections, curating collection displays and major temporary exhibitions and educational programs.
Proven scholarly achievement in the field, including original research and critical inquiry in publications, exhibitions and public speaking.
Understanding of current curatorial practice and methodologies.
Ability to undertake creation of precise and deeply researched records.
Proven project-management skills and ability to work effectively and collaboratively in partnership with colleagues.
Commitment to maintaining a high degree of professionalism and diplomacy.
Experience in cultivating donors and collectors.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written, oral, visual).
Highly motivated, organized, and detail-oriented.
Ability to contribute to an inclusive and positive work environment.

Nice To Haves

Expertise in Impressionism and late-19th century painting preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, organize, catalog and research the planned re-installation of the permanent collection galleries with a focus on 19th century European painting.
Engage in actively situating art and artists of this period within a rich international context, grounding the artists and their work within the most pressing social, political, and aesthetic issues of their time, through major exhibitions and gallery installations;
Propose art historical narratives, installations, and acquisitions that make this material and period central and relevant to audiences;
Conduct research and archival work to produce creative and fresh interpretative throughways into historical material;
Participate in the care of the collection, including provenance research, framing, deaccessioning, documentation, and label writing;
Communicate scholarly research in a variety of modes—written or through lectures or gallery talks—that address a variety of audiences;
Support and supervise the professional development of department, including junior curators, interns and fellows.
Serve as an advocate for the museum both internally and within the wider field.
Work collaboratively with other European Paintings Department 19th century specialists and across the museum, especially with colleagues in complementary curatorial departments;
Collaborate with conservators and scientists and act as an advocate within the wider curatorial field through the publication and presentation of scholarly research in professional forums.
Work independently and in collaboration/coordination with curatorial, collections, conservation, advancement, audience engagement, and administrative staff;
Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
Long-term disability coverage
Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
Free financial-planning services
Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
25% discount for staff in Museum shops
A subsidized staff cafeteria
Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions