Museum Curator (Art) – U.S. Federal Government – Washington, DC

This position is located within the Office of The Deputy Director (DD), Curatorial Division, Department of Northern European Paintings (DCN), which is responsible for the Gallery’s acquisition, care, study, interpretation, and display of Old Master paintings from Northern Europe.

Exhibitions. The incumbent proposes, organizes, and coordinates major and minor exhibitions of pre-1900 Northern European paintings both from the Gallery’s holdings and from other institutions and private collections. Ensures timely and accurate maintenance of The Museum System (TMS) database entries for exhibition objects in the online collection management system.

Acquisitions. Expands and deepens the Gallery’s collections through the acquisition of works of art of the highest quality and relevance to the Gallery’s collecting policies. Cultivates close and cooperative long-term relationships with donors, collectors, scholars, and art dealers, to attract and secure single objects, collections, purchase funds, or other types of gifts to the National Gallery.

Collection management and research. Performs and/or delegates scholarly and technical work to ensure thorough, up-to-date cataloguing, safe and orderly storage, and documentation of Northern European paintings belonging to the Gallery or proposed as gifts, purchases, and loans. Sets priorities for documenting the collection; works with visual services staff and art handlers to complete new photography. Works closely with painting conservators and technicians to ensure that physical care meets the highest standards for conservation treatment, storage, and framing.

The incumbent is responsible for the permanent collection of Northern European paintings before 1900. Keeps abreast of bibliography, exhibitions, collecting, publishing, and other developments in the field of Northern European painting and in relevant research areas. The incumbent is a scholar of considerable prestige and authority within the field of the history of art, specifically Northern European paintings before 1900.

This responsibility involves decisions on the allocation of space, time, manpower, and other resources, approval of initial plans and final concepts, organization, and designs for major exhibitions and related publications, and responsibility for project content, scope, cost effectiveness, timeliness, and public and scholarly reception.