Associate Curator - Painting and Sculpture of Europe

About the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago shares its singular collections with our city and the world. We collect, care for, and interpret works of art across time, cultures, geographies, and identities. We are a place of gathering and learning, committed to fostering an inclusive understanding of human creativity.

About the Department

The Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe stewards a collection that comprises nearly 3,000 works of art dating from the 12th through the early 20th century, with a particular strength in Impressionism, which comprises some 600 paintings. The department strives to produce original scholarship and engage diverse audiences by contextualizing its collection within an expansive and evolving history of art.

Position Summary

The Art Institute of Chicago is seeking an outstanding candidate to join the Department of Painting and Sculpture of Europe. We welcome candidates with a range of experience and expertise, and are accepting applications at both the Associate Curator and Curator levels. We encourage interested candidates to apply for the role that best reflects their background. Please note that only one position will be filled as part of this search.

Under the guidance of the chair, the associate curator supports the department in caring for, researching, producing content on, interpreting, and displaying the permanent collection of the department. The associate curator assumes responsibility and connoisseurship for areas of specialty, keeps abreast of the art market, recommends acquisitions and deaccessions to the chair and President and Director in consultation with other curators, and proposes exhibitions for the museum.

The associate curator supports the chair’s strategic vision of the department; helps to enhance the visibility and reputation of the museum and develop community interest and support for the departmental collection; and supports the museum in its commitment to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable institution.

The associate curator proposes exhibitions, gallery rotations, and reinstallations for areas of specialty; performs art historical research, writing, and interpretation for areas of specialty; produces and publishes content; conceives of, organizes, and develops publications and interpretive materials; and liaises with colleagues to develop compelling narratives, programs, and content for broad audience engagement.

The associate curator communicates clearly and consistently with the chair and departmental colleagues about projects and timelines; and mentors and collaborates with departmental interns, fellows, and volunteers. The associate curator engages in a collaborative role with Conservation and Science and Collections and Loans to review treatments and foster best practices for maintaining the areas of specialty within the collection. All of these efforts are supported by the associate curator’s collaboration with the philanthropy team to cultivate relationships with donors, collectors, and committee members. 

Responsibilities

• Collection growth and care: Evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of areas of specialty within the collection; keeps abreast of the market, current scholarship, and legal and ethical issues in the field; works with dealers; recommends acquisitions and deaccessions; cultivates relationships with donors; supports the maintenance and cataloguing of records, documentation, and research; supports collection management through cataloguing, database upkeep, website publication, and object care and movement; ensures the safety and stability of the collection and loans; consults with Conservation and Science on the general physical condition, treatment, storage, and display of the collection; considers loans; and responds to related external and internal inquiries.
• Research and scholarship: Carries out original research that results in significant art historical scholarship and exhibitions; produces collection and provenance research, documentation, and content; actively builds object files, maintains object database records, and publishes new research findings online; in collaboration with museum colleagues, determines appropriate medium for sharing content, including digital platforms, in-gallery didactics, or print. Under the guidance of the chair, pursues opportunities through scholarly publications, conferences, teaching, and lecturing that help further the museum’s visibility and mission. As needed, responds to external inquiries about the collection.
• Philanthropy and stewardship: Supports the stewardship and cultivation o