Assistant/Associate Curator, European and American Art (Before 1900) at the Denver Art Museum

Job Title: Assistant/Associate Curator

Job Status: Full-time

Location: Denver, CO

Salary: $58,000 – $81,000

Description

HOW TO APPLY

Nominations and inquiries welcome. To apply: email cover letter and resume and names of three references with contact information by August 31, 2022, to: Connie Rosemont, Senior Search Consultant at: searchandref@museum-search.com. Applicants are encouraged to apply early; application review will begin on or about September 12, 2022, on a rolling basis until a hire is made. References will not be contacted without prior permission of the applicant, and all applications and nominations are kept confidential. For full details, visit www.museum-search.com/open-searches/.

The Department of European and American Art Before 1900 is currently seeking a sharp-witted Assistant/Associate Curator who will bring creative and intellectually nuanced ideas to fruition. The curator will have profound knowledge of European and American art before 1900 and will support the departments distinguished work, bringing it to a higher level of regional, national, and international prominence. They will bring research experience and networks to build a multi-faceted set of activities that extend beyond the department and raise the profile of the museum as a whole. The Assistant/Associate Curator will be open to historical interpretations that incorporate erased or neglected stories and will realize thoughtful interpretations of art objects to appeal to new and diverse audiences. The Assistant/Associate Curator will collaborate with the head of department in the research, interpretation, and presentation of its pre-1900 art collection that includes more than 3,000 artworks and comprises paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, with strengths in early Italian Renaissance, 19th-century French Painting, and British art from 1400-1900.

The successful candidate will bring attention to the European and American art collections, helping to develop dynamic exhibitions and learning and engagement programs for broad audiences. They will support the technical examination of works in both European and American Art before 1900 and contribute to national and international research, through lectures, symposia and, occasionally, publications. Finally, they will help develop the European and American Art before 1900 collections through strategic acquisitions and forward-looking relationships with donors, patrons, collectors, artists and others.

The Assistant/Associate Curator, European and American Art Before 1900, must have leadership qualities and excellent communication skills. They will communicate the value and excitement of the collections to the many constituencies of the DAM community. Much of the work at DAM is cross-departmental and team oriented, and often exhibitions are developed through advisory committees that invite external perspectives. The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys collaboration, welcomes input from other museum staff and from external constituencies.

The candidate will come with active national and international networks that include a variety of individuals and organizations in the art and museum sectors. The curator must enjoy working with donors, collectors, and patrons and will welcome wide audiences, including families and students.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the direction of the Head of the Department, the Assistant/Associate Curator is expected to:

  • Study, care, display, publish, and conduct provenance research on the European and American art collections.
  • Build and refine the collections and collaborate with collectors, patrons, curatorial colleagues, and cultural organizations to generate important exhibitions, publications, and public programs.
  • Prepare and give lectures, tours, and workshops to the public, professional colleagues, and other groups.
  • Maintain professional affiliations in scholarly organizations, professional societies, and relevant committees.
  • Help create and coordinate departmental publications and presentations, press materials, and written information pertaining to departmental projects; conduct research when requested.
  • Supervise other department support staff, volunteers, and contract workers, as necessary.
  • Assist with the organization of department exhibitions and coordination of traveling exhibits.
  • Work collaboratively with interpretive specialists and designers in the development, creation, interpretation, and installation of permanent galleries and special exhibitions organized or booked by the museum.
  • Work with Learning and Engagement colleagues to use evaluation tools for ongoing assessment and refinement of interpretive strategies and audience engagement.
  • Work actively with support groups and Friends of the Museum.
  • Actively cultivate funding, in collaboration with the development department, for acquisitions, exhibitions, research grants, and fellowships through association with professional organizations, foundations, and patrons on regional, national, and international levels.
  • Prove a commitment to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through respectful communication and cooperation.
  • As a member of the Denver Art Museum staff, use the Racial Equity Lens in day-to-day operations and set goals that support Racial Equity Roadmap initiatives.
  • As an institutional member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Denver Art Museum is committed to following the AAMD Report on the Acquisition of Archaeological Materials and Ancient Art and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. All curators are required to abide by the above guidelines and are expected to comply with and conduct appropriate provenance research on all objects in their collections.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Thorough knowledge of European and/or American art before 1900.
  • Passionate interest in European and American culture, history, religions, and traditions.
  • National and international network of professional colleagues, collectors, dealers, and artists; must be willing to travel.
  • A record of exhibitions and publications.
  • Experience fundraising and solid public-speaking abilities.
  • Must have excellent command of spoken and written English, able to generate content in English for broad audiences. Proficiency in another European language and research capability in French and German desirable.

EDUCATION:

  • MA required (minimum), preferably in a related field.

EXPERIENCE:

  • Three or more years as a curator, or equivalent professional experience.
  • Experience in museum installations and collaborative projects.
  • Experience in publication editing.

Qualified candidates are expected to exemplify the DAMs internal values, which include being dynamic, respectful, inclusive, creative, and curious. The ability to maintain effective and positive working relationships with visitors, employees, volunteers, representatives of public and private entities, policy-making bodies, and contractors is critical to the success of this position.

      • A comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; 100% paid life insurance; short- and long-term disability insurance; paid time-off for vacation, sickness and holidays; 403(b) Retirement Plan with immediate eligibility to contribute and, after one year of employment, an employer contribution and match; a free RTD Eco pass and additional benefits.

DAM provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

The Museum believes vaccination is an important measure to protect the health and safety of employees, volunteers, visitors, clients, family members, and those who visit the workplace, from significant illness due to COVID-19 infection. As a condition of employment, employees hired after August 15, 2021, must present proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before the commencement of employment, or receive an exemption or other reasonable accommodation due to circumstances protected under federal or state law that prevent the employee from being vaccinated.

About the European and American Art Before 1900 Collection

The department of European and American Art Before 1900 oversees a collection that includes more than 3,000 artworks and is composed of painting, sculpture, and works on paper, with significant strengths in early Italian Renaissance, 19th century French painting, and British art from 1400 to 1900.

Throughout the 1950s, Mrs. Simon Guggenheim donated a significant collection of Old Master paintings. In 1954, as one of 18 regional museums, the museum was chosen by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation to receive a gift of 33 paintings and four sculptures. Dating from the mid-1300s to mid-1600s, it was the first large collection of Old Masters to be shown in Denver. Additional gifts came from Marion G. Hendrie and the Charles Bayley, Jr. Collections. As a result of these acquisitions, as well additional gifts and purchases through the years, the collection of European art before 1800 includes works by Jacopo del Casentino, Girolamo di Benvenuto, Giovanni Bonsi, Bonifacio Bembo, Vincenzo Foppa, Bernardo Zenale, Carlo Crivelli, Giovanni Antonio Canal -called Canaletto, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, and Maria van Oosterwyck, among others.

French painting from the 19th century is well represented thanks largely to the Helen Dill Bequest, as well as donations by T. Edward and Tullah Hanley. In 2014, Denver-based philanthropist Frederic C. Hamilton made a transformative gift to the DAM with the bequest of 22 Impressionist masterworks, by, among others, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Caillebotte, and the museums first paintings by Van Gogh and Cézanne. The large French 19th-century collection includes works by Gustave Doré, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Hilaire Degas, Eva Gonzalès, Eugène Carrière, Jean-Léon Gérôme, and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, to name a few.

In 2018, a major gift of British masterworks from the Berger Collection Educational Trust (BCET), the largest gift of European Old Masters since the museum received the Kress Collection in the 1950s, added 65 artworks of great significance to the museums holdings, making DAM one of the greatest repositories of British art in the United States. These include works by Sir Anthony van Dyck, Sir Peter Lely, George Stubbs, Thomas Gainsborough, Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, Thomas Jones, and John Constable, as well as significant examples from the Tudor era.

In 2019, 44 works on paper from the collection of Dr. Esmond Bradley Martin, including examples by such renowned artists as Jean-Antoine Watteau, François Boucher, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and three rare works on paper by Claude Monet, were generously gifted to the museum.

The American holdings include works by Thomas Cole, Edward Hicks, and George Inness, as well as Americans who spent time abroad such as Willard Metcalf, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Mary Cassatt, among others.

About the Denver Art Museum

Founded in 1893, the Denver Art Museum (DAM) is one of the largest art museums between the West Coast and Chicago. With more than 70,000 objects in two purpose-built, iconic buildings, the museum houses comprehensive collections of world art and is an educational, nonprofit resource that sparks creative thinking and expression through transformative experiences with art. DAM celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2018 and through the years has experienced remarkable growth. Its historic 210,000 square foot Gio Ponti-designed Martin Building opened in 1971 and underwent a $150 million renovation that included the addition of a new 50,000-square foot Welcome Center that opened in late 2021. The Denver Art Museum welcomes more than 700,000 visitors yearly.

About Denver

The Mile High City is now the 19th largest city in the U.S., larger than Washington, D.C., Boston, or Atlanta. It is known for the young, creative, entrepreneurial populations it attracts from both Coasts and for fabulous skiing in the Rocky Mountains. Arts, culture and creativity are fully integrated into daily life in Denver, and the city is home to numerous museums and performing arts venues. It also hosts public art, a downtown theatre district, art districts, an indie music scene, creative-sector businesses and microbreweries and distilleries. Despite its size, Denver is a livable, friendly city where many DAM staff walk or bike to work. Its temperate climate boasts 300 days of sunshine per year.