The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is one of the UK’s foremost arts institutions, whose purpose is to be a clear, strong voice for art and architecture. Our public programme promotes the creation, study and enjoyment of art and architecture to a wide range of audiences through exhibitions, education and debate.
About this position
The Curator (Collections) will be responsible for building on these successes. Alongside Collections colleagues, in particular a Curator of Works on Paper and an Assistant Curator, they will continue to shape and curate displays, devise and deliver ideas for exhibitions and consider ways to promote the RA Collection more widely both nationally and internationally.
The Curator will participate fully in ensuring that the RA Collection is conserved, cared for and accurately catalogued, contributing to the digitisation and database management as appropriate, leading cataloguing projects and overseeing any major Collection projects in close collaboration with Registrars and freelance Conservators.
The Curator of Paintings and Sculpture has overall responsibility for all paintings, sculptures, including medals, dies, cameos, and intaglio gems, plaster casts (including pastes of gems), historic skeletons relating to teaching in the Schools, objects of memorabilia, including artists’ tools and materials, historic silver and silverplate, historic items of furniture, picture frames and certain fittings and fixtures within Burlington House. The objects under the care of this Curator which are not on display are stored at both the Royal Academy and an offsite store.
The postholder will also work closely and collaboratively across the RA including with Royal Academicians, and colleagues in Exhibitions, Learning, Digital, Development and the RA Schools, as well as with external stakeholders.
This is a part-time position, working 4 days/32 hours per week (0.8 FTE).
MAIN OBJECTIVES
• To look after, document, research, preserve and promote the RA’s historic and contemporary Collection
• To contribute to the Academy’s wider public engagement through Collection displays of works of art, participation in exhibitions as appropriate, and the extensive loans programme
• To provide accurate and engaging information on works from the Collection to a wide audience including the scholarly community, museum professionals, supporters of the RA and the general public
• To regularly check and assess the general condition of works of art in the Collection and their location in collaboration with the Senior Registrar and external conservators
• To ensure the works of art from the Collections are made available on the RA website thereby reaching the widest possible audience
• To work with the Director of Collections & Learning, and the Development team, in realizing the revenue and fundraising potential of the RA Collections
MAIN DUTIES
Collections Exhibitions, Displays and Publications
• Work with Director of Collections & Learning and Curator of Works on Paper to develop ideas for in-house display programmes, Collection-based exhibitions and possible loan exhibitions as appropriate.
• Be responsible for existing displays in the Collection Gallery, Fine Rooms and elsewhere in-house on Burlington House and 6BG campus
• Write labels, information panels, articles for press and digital and where needed essays, catalogue entries or biographies and liaise with in-house and external graphic designers to produce labels and information panels
Documentation, Research and Education
• Document and research paintings and three-dimensional objects, creating and updating catalogue records on the database and for publication on the RA website
• Oversee or undertake audits of the collection as required and work with Assistant Curator to ensure any backlog of documentation resolved
• Oversee and update conservation records and reports as required, in conjunction with the Assistant Curator
• Provide public access to the paintings & sculpture collections and respond to enquiries and arrange research appointments
• Answer all enquiries on the Painting and Sculpture collection which cannot be easily dealt with by the Library. Meet with scholars and museum professionals who need to see works of art, and discuss research queries
• Give lectures on the Collections and History of the Academy and contribute to Study Days and the RA’s Executive MA programme on aspects of the Collection; brief volunteer guides on any new hang; undertake Curator’s talks on individual works of art or displays and behind-the-scenes for Development groups; speak to journalists and film makers, including filmed interviews
Loans, Conservation and Collections Management
• Consider all loan requests of paintings or three-dimensional objects and make recommendations to Council in consultation with Director of Collections & Learning and Senior Registrar
• Liaise with Registrars for all aspects of preparation for loans and any loan exhibitions including contracts, conservation of works, display of works of art, logistics of exhibitions arrangements
• Act as courier to valuable works of art both nationally and internationally when necessary
• Plan the resourcing of curatorial projects; agree task allocations, priorities, budgets and workload.
• Identify works of art to be photographed and liaise with colleagues about booking and overseeing this process where necessary.
• Discuss and decide upon conservation treatments with freelance painting, sculpture and frame conservators and frame technicians and manage the budget for on-going conservation work and general care of the Collections in consultation with the Senior Registrar
• Supervise when necessary the work of conservators and the frame technician in the offsite store
• Provide insurance values, or arrange valuations for loans, insurance renewals and heritage asset reporting; liaise with the team to agree salvage priorities
• Undertake due diligence provenance checks as required
Acquisitions to the Collection
• Assess new acquisitions in the light of the RA Acquisitions and Disposals policy
• Recommend new acquisitions to Director of Collections & Learning as appropriate
• Assist the Legacy department to assess proposed legacies of works of art
RA Collections Website and Digitisation
• Work with the Head of Library Services to ensure RA Collections website stays up to date
• Write for the website as agreed by Content Board, or in discussion with Digital Content Lead
• Manage the on-going database and digitisation aspects of the Collection items in your charge, liaising with colleagues and overseeing freelancers
Accreditation & Designation
• The Collection has achieved both Accreditation and Designation status. The Curator is responsible to ensure that curatorial standards are upheld so that the Collection maintains this nationally approved status
• Work with the Senior Registrar and other curatorial colleagues to ensure all official returns for continued membership of both these schemes are completed on time
Revenue Generation and Funding
• Work closely with Development to frame and devise funding applications to trusts and foundations both for Collections specific projects and for wider RA projects
• Contribute to applications for funding, including financial assessments and budget proposals in collaboration with the Director of Collections & Learning
AOB
• Ensure that Health & Safety policies, procedures and regulations are known, understood and complied with by the Curator, the team and internal and external colleagues and suppliers.
• Undertake any other duties which may reasonably be allocated by the Director of Collections & Learning.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge
• PhD in History of Art, or related subject, ideally with a specific focus on twentieth-century British art
• Evidence of participation in wider networks and groups specialising in the study of British Art and/or publications to support this
• Some knowledge of working with the decorative arts, and in media other than that of a narrow specialist field
Skills
• Demonstrable first class oral and written communication skills
• Proven research skills – specialist research and advanced information gathering ability in the field of art history, and associated with the creation and development of exhibitions and displays
• Proven experience of caring for collections, overseeing conservation and aspects of cataloging, storage and salvage priorities
• Well-honed administrative skills, fully computer literate to self-administrate (correspondence, reporting and maintaining records of material and information)
• Ability to work simultaneously on numerous different projects and meet tight deadlines
• Strong stakeholder management, fully able to work co-operatively with external partners, as well as internal departments
• Excellent interpersonal skills – able to work co-operatively and effectively across all Academy departments and with external partners (both individuals and institutions)
• Excellent diplomacy and advocacy skills in representing the RA Collection internally and the Academy externally; a proficient networker, good at building and maintaining networks outside of the institution that relates to the Academy’s fields of interest and further build upon the reputation of the Academy’s Collections
Experience
• Relevant experience of exhibition/display creation – from the generation of ideas and research around them, through to implementation of plans and delivery
• At least 5-10 years’ experience of working in a museum, historic house or equivalent institution with a range of media in your charge and care
• Ability to write across a broad range of diverse audiences – labels, texts, articles, catalog essays and evidence of published work in the field of British fine and decorative art history and scholarship
• Ability to contribute to the strategic development of the department – the displays programme, the wider RA exhibition programme, ability to think laterally and creatively to help realise the ambitions of the department and the Academy
• Experience of formulating and monitoring expenditure: a clear understanding of the connections between ideas and the financial reality of their production
• Experience of delivering lectures and seminars, leading talks and tours, and attending external patron events
• Some experience of fundraising from a variety of sources
Personal Qualities
• Co-operative approach to team working to facilitate across the department and Academy wide
• Clear communication and interpersonal skills
• An adaptable, flexible and helpful approach to work – willingness to take on a range of tasks and provide support to colleagues.
• Genuine interest in the work and objectives of the Academy.
