Associate/Assistant Curator of Spanish and Colonial Latin American paintings, NGA

The curator will assist in the oversight of the museum’s holdings of Spanish paintings before 1800 and will help to build a collection of colonial Latin American art at the National Gallery. The chosen candidate will have expertise in colonial Latin American art.

Duties

The chosen candidate will be expected to perform the following:

• Propose, organize, and coordinate exhibitions of colonial Latin American and Spanish art from both the National Gallery and loan collections. Ensure that exhibitions proposed, organized, or coordinated are well-conceived and well-developed, reflect institutional priorities. Exhibitions will embrace the National Gallery’s commitment to scholarly excellence and diversity and provide a visitor-centered experience that engages and attracts contemporary audiences.
• Participate in the management of the Italian, Spanish, and colonial Latin American collections owned by and on loan to the National Gallery. Perform scholarly and technical work in collaboration with painting conservation to ensure thorough, up-to-date cataloguing, safe and orderly storage and documentation of artworks belonging to the National Gallery or proposed as gifts, purchases, and loans.
• Participate in annual inventory of the Italian, Spanish, and colonial Latin American collections. Work with conservators and technicians to ensure that physical care meets the highest standards for conservation treatment, storage, framing and other means of presentation.
• Evaluate loan requests from other institutions to borrow artworks for special exhibitions; makes recommendations for loan decisions and special loan conditions based on the physical condition of the objects requested, the National Gallery’s and its visitors’ interests, and the significance and merits of the borrower’s project.
• Work with members of curatorial to ensure that objects entering the collection and objects already existing in the collection are properly researched and catalogued, including bibliography, references, catalogue raisonné citations, artist biographical data, and exhibition history. On a continuing basis, traces provenances, records references, makes comparative analyses, and collects photographic and technical information.
• Identify any works bearing outdated or inaccurate labels and prepares materials with well-documented and scholarly arguments for changes in attribution, title, or date.
• Initiate and/or oversees development of research and publishing projects.
• Write, lecture, and consult on scholarly matters. Write or review texts for the website, brochures, leaflets and other National Gallery publications or scholarly studies.
• Provide accurate and informative responses to inquiries from outside scholars, colleagues, and the public concerning works in the collection. Provide helpful and illuminating leads for further information.
• Accommodate important visitors, groups, and classes in the galleries, art storage, and curatorial records and files. Give regular presentations, lectures, and tours. Support related public programs developed by educators. Work collaboratively.
• Take part in department, interdepartmental, and curatorial meetings, at times representing the department. Serve on National Gallery-wide committees, as assigned.

Requirements

Applicants must be U.S. citizens. View the conditions of employment, required qualifications, and application procedure.

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