Art Collection Management
Node Center for Curatorial Studies
Duration: 18 March – 15 April 2026
Enrollment Deadline: 13 March 2026
Fee: €189.00 (incl. VAT)
Format: Live sessions
Time Commitment: 2 hours per week
Maximum Participants: 32 seats
Managing art collections is a practice that requires a broad set of skills—from working with digital inventories and legal procedures to supervising art conservation.
In this introductory course, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge to confidently navigate the responsibilities of caring for an art collection—whether it’s a large institutional archive or a private inventory.
Through case studies and group discussions, you’ll learn the day-to-day administrative essentials that keep a collection running, such as managing inventories and documentation. We’ll also take a long-term view, exploring how to shape a collection’s mission, enhance its visibility, and assess its condition and value over time.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand the principles and guidelines for acquiring and loaning artworks.
- Recognize the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the administration and care of art collections.
- Work with museum databases to accurately document, catalogue, and track artworks.
- Apply best practices for artwork storage and exhibition to ensure long-term conservation and manage risks.
- Use tools to assess a collection’s relevance, condition, and value.
- Develop acquisition plans and curatorial strategies for expanding the collection.
This course is designed for curators and art managers who want to enter the field of collection management or strengthen their skill set to ensure the effective stewardship of art collections for future generations.
The Zoom sessions will be on Wednesdays, from 7pm to 9pm Berlin time CEST/CET. Recordings will be available in case you miss a live session!