Assistant Curator – Greek & Roman dept – at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job Title: Assistant Curator

Job Status: Full-time

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas.

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. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

About the Department

The Museum’s collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art seeks an Assistant Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Art. Reporting to the Curator-in-Charge for Greek and Roman Art, the Assistant Curator will be an integral member of the curatorial team, participating in all the activities of the Department including day-to-day maintenance of the collections, research and publication, as well as planning and installation of special exhibitions. The candidate will participate in gallery installations, writing labels and database management; respond to public inquiries and assist scholars; help in the organization of loans including possible travel; contribute to the Museum’s public education programs; research the permanent collections and new acquisitions; and represent the Department to supporters and colleagues both nationally and internationally, in addition to other related duties. The Assistant Curator will participate in general and scholarly departmental publications, in both electronic and print form.

Successful candidates will have genuine interest in the history of the Department and in making its collections accessible to the layman as well as the specialist, thus a strong facility in written and oral communication, as well as the ability to maintain precise and careful records and excellent computer skills. Demonstrated experience in accomplishing original research on objects of various regions and cultures represented by the collections of Greek and Roman Art Department is required. The Assistant Curator must also have the ability to work closely with all staff within the Department and with colleagues throughout the Museum as well as the academic community, in addition to proven lecturing and writing capabilities and significant demonstrated curatorial experience in preparing gallery installations and special exhibitions. A Ph.D. in Classical Art and/or Archaeology is required in addition to excellent language skills and preferably some ancient Greek and/or Latin. The Department is particularly interested in a candidate specializing in Greek vases. Given the nature and strengths of the collection, the candidate would benefit significantly from familiarity with the methods and publications of J.D. Beazley and considerable experience with original vases and fragments.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

  • Research, Propose and contribute to Museum publications, including catalogue essays and entries as well as other printed texts, with particular emphasis on TMS and the website
  • Participate in departmental assessment and acquisition initiatives. Research loans and new acquisitions, especially in regard to provenance
  • Plan, research, and execute exhibitions in cooperation with colleagues in the department and across the museum. Participate in gallery installations, writing labels, etc.
  • Contribute innovative scholarship on – and presentation of – ancient art
  • Answer correspondence relating to the collection to their field of expertise; assist the public and visiting scholars
  • Foster and maintain excellent working relationships with donors, patrons, collectors, dealers, colleagues from other international institutions, and the scholarly community
  • Assist with departmental fundraising as appropriate
  • Contribute to the Museum’s public and educational programs (Learning, Volunteers, Digital Media, etc.)
  • Other duties as assigned

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, sincerely held religious belief, or pregnancy, or because you are a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sex offenses).

Experience and Skills:

  • At least two years of demonstrated experience in accomplishing original research on objects of the various regions and cultures represented by the collections of the Greek and Roman Art Department
  • Ability to maintain precise and careful records
  • Excellent computer skills
  • Ability to work closely with all staff within the Department and with colleagues throughout the Museum, as well as the academic community
  • Genuine interest in making works of art accessible to the layman as well as the specialist, thus a strong facility in written and oral communication

Knowledge and Education:

  • Ph.D. in Classical Art and/or Archaeology preferred
  • Broad knowledge of the classical world required, specialty in Greek vases preferred
  • Excellent language skills-modern and preferably ancient Greek and/or Latin required

How to Apply:

Applicants are asked to please provide a cover letter in addition to your resume, expressing your interest in the position. Applications can be submitted via the posting on LinkedIn. Alternatively, applications can be submitted via email to Careers@MetMuseum.org – please reference position “Assistant Curator – Greek and Roman“ in the subject line of the email. Applications received with the requested cover letter will be given priority.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.