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The Opportunity

The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks a qualified Assistant Curator to support the Paintings department. The Assistant Curator will be a full-time member of the curatorial team of the Department of Paintings, responsible for the collection of Italian, French, Spanish, and British paintings. Under moderate supervision, they will help develop the paintings collection in their area of expertise, maintaining and managing it in collaboration with colleagues and under the direction of more senior curators.  The applicant should therefore have a strong background and established publishing history in one or more of those areas. They are also responsible for performing such curatorial duties as: researching and studying works currently in the collection; recommending acquisitions; proposing exhibitions and research projects; maintaining and updating the online catalogue; working with colleagues in the museum and academic world as well as with dealers and auctioneers and cultivating collectors and other supporters. The ideal candidate will not only have an established reputation in their field but will be someone passionately interested in connoisseurship and in shaping the Painting Department’s collection through display, gifts, and purchase for the next generation; someone deeply committed to the Museum’s mission of public engagement and outreach.

• Applies advanced knowledge of art history and art education to curatorial assignments of moderate complexity
• Performs scholarly research
• May devise gallery installations and organize smaller exhibitions in collaboration with contributing departments
• Travels and networks internationally to develop partnerships with other museums
• Publishes and lectures in area of specialization
• Participates in digitization and collection management; assesses loan requests; assists with assessments of conservation needs of the collection
• May research and propose acquisitions and donations for the collections in collaboration with curators and participate in the preparation of acquisition proposals
• Collaborates in research projects; serves as a resource to scholars, visitors and staff and develops relationships with outside institutions and professionals to foster cross-institutional initiatives
• Contributes to the development of interpretive programming, including public and educational programs, digital media, and social media
• Foster and maintain good working relationships with colleagues from other institutions in the U.S. and abroad as well as with the scholarly community, dealers, and collectors; actively cultivate potential sponsors and donors
• Other duties as assigned