Assistant/ Associate Curator of European Paintings at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco

Job Title: Assistant/Associate Curator

Job Status: Full-time

Description

Under the supervision of the Curator in Charge of European Paintings, the Assistant or Associate Curator will support the department in caring for, researching, documenting, interpreting, and displaying the Fine Arts Museums’ permanent collection of European paintings. Strong preference will be given to candidates with some specialized knowledge of Dutch and/or Flemish art before 1700-whether paintings or works on paper.

This role includes wide-ranging research, interpretation, and collection care responsibilities, with special emphasis on their area(s) of specialty: drafting related interpretive text for multiple platforms (gallery, print, digital); offering lectures and gallery talks; proposing and developing original exhibition projects and gallery installations; and recommending to the Curator in Charge works for potential acquisition and deaccession. This position will regularly serve as a venue curator for exhibitions, involving European art, developed at other institutions and presented at FAMSF; this aspect of the position will require a wide-ranging, synthetic knowledge of European art history and a degree of comfort working outside the Assistant or Associate Curator’s immediate area of expertise. This role will play an active role in the digital cataloguing of the permanent collection (TMS) and will be called upon to assist in related administrative matters: assessing and tracking loan requests; responding to collection inquiries; facilitating research visits; orchestrating gallery movements; etc. The Assistant or Associate Curator  will collaborate closely with colleagues in European Paintings, in other curatorial departments, and in departments throughout the museum—especially Conservation, Design, Development, Digital, Education, Exhibitions, Publications, and Registration—communicating clearly and consistently about shared projects and timelines. This position will play a key role in cultivating and stewarding institutional relationships with collectors, donors, and trustees.

The Assistant or Associate Curator will work closely with the Curator in Charge to support their strategic vision for the department: helping to enhance the Museums’ visibility and scholarly reputation; building and documenting the collection to the highest standards of quality; telling richer and more complex stories in the galleries; and cultivating broader community interest and investment in the Legion of Honor as part of the overall mission of FAMSF. The Assistant or Associate Curator will embrace an active role in FAMSF’s ongoing efforts to become an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming environment for a diverse staff and public.

Duties & Responsibilities

  1. Work with Curator in Charge to plan the installation of the Museums’ European paintings collection, with particular focus on Northern European paintings before 1700 
  2. Research, document, and interpret works in the permanent collection across multiple platforms (in gallery texts, print publications, and online content)
  3. Work with other Museum departments to develop public programming and educational initiatives, offering lectures and gallery talks for docents, staff, students, and the general public
  4. Work with the Curator in Charge to propose and develop original exhibition projects, obtaining cost estimates, soliciting funding, corresponding with lenders, coordinating installation with other staff, assembling data and photographs, preparing labels, and researching and writing associated catalogues and brochures
  5. Recommend to the Curator in Charge works in the Assistant or Associate Curator’s area of specialty for potential acquisition and deaccession; will provide research support for new acquisitions and will assist in associated fundraising efforts
  6. Regularly serve as a venue curator for exhibitions, involving European paintings, developed at other institutions and presented at FAMSF
  7. Participate in the digital cataloguing of the permanent collection (TMS) and may be called upon to assist in related administrative matters: assessing and tracking loan requests; responding to collection inquiries; facilitating research visits; orchestrating gallery movements; etc.
  8. Consult with the Curator in Charge, conservators, and other staff members on the conservation of art objects
  9. Correspond and confer with scholars, specialists, and the public
  10. Cultivate and steward institutional relationships with collectors, donors, trustees, and other constituents

 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications: Assistant Curator

  • An advanced degree in art history from an accredited university
  • Curatorial experience: 3 years of experience working with European art before 1800 in museum curatorial departments, commercial art galleries, and/or auction houses
  • Knowledge of European art history; some specialized knowledge of Dutch and/or Flemish art before 1700 strongly preferred
  • Proficiency in at least two foreign languages; strongly preferred that one of these be Dutch or Flemish.

 Minimum Qualifications: Associate Curator

  • An advanced degree in art history from an accredited university; PhD preferred
  • Curatorial experience: 5 years of experience working with European art before 1800 in museum curatorial departments, commercial art galleries, and/or auction houses
  • Teaching experience: at least 1 year of experience teaching art history in a university, museum, or secondary school context
  • Knowledge of European art history; specialized knowledge of Dutch and/or Flemish art before 1700 required.
  • Fluency in at least one foreign language and proficiency in another; one of these must be Dutch or Flemish.

Skills & Abilities

  • Outstanding verbal and written communication skills; an ability to convey (and a personal investment in conveying) complex scholarly content to non-specialist audiences
  • Ability to communicate with tact and courtesy with the public. Ability to deal with sensitive issues related to museum collections.
  • Knowledge of museological methods and practices, including proper handling, storage, documentation, and general collections care.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google suites; working knowledge of museum-specific collections database (TMS) highly preferable but not required
  • Flexibility and strong follow-through on work assignments and related deadlines
  • Strong interpersonal skills and an appetite for collaboration
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with staff, volunteers, the general public, donors, collectors, and outside agencies, organizations, and groups.
  • Flexibility to work after hours and on weekends for special programs and events
  • Ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects in a highly demanding and fast-paced work environment

Working Conditions:

Physical Requirements: Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Environmental Factors: Close office setting.

Work Location: The majority of our administrative staff are currently working on a hybrid schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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TO APPLY:

Apply via LinkedIn

This position is full-time, 40 hours a week. The benefits package includes medical, dental, vision and 401(k), and paid time off. 

Application Deadline: Open until filled 

If you require an alternative method of completing this application please contact humanresources@famsf.org.

All new COFAM employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Please contact humanresources@famsf.org with any questions.

Learn more about the expectations and qualifications for this role in the job description linked below under ‘More details’.

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COFAM is the Corporation of Fine Arts Museums and is the privately funded non-profit corporation which supports the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, a department of the City and County of San Francisco.

COFAM is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all phases of employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, we are the largest public arts institution in the City of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in the United States. The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa. The Legion of Honor displays a collection of over 4,000 years of ancient and European art including Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts in a Beaux-Arts style building overlooking Lincoln Park and the Golden Gate Bridge.