Rousseau Curatorial Fellow in European Paintings

The Curatorial Fellowship Program at the Harvard Art Museums is designed to broaden the experience of scholars embarking on professional and academic careers in art history who are considering the museum profession.  Theodore Rousseau, Harvard class of 1934, funded this position to foster “the training of students planning to enter museums as curators of painting.”

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Under the supervision of Cassandra Albinson, Curator of European Art, undertake research for an upcoming exhibition on the development and significance of pink in European painting. Duties will include researching and writing object labels and taking part in planning of the layout of the exhibition. An interest in exploring pre-eighteenth-century uses of pink in painting would be particularly helpful.
• Possible collections-based cataloguing projects include Italian Renaissance paintings, a seventeenth-century Spanish portrait by Pantoja de la Cruz, or Monet’s paintings at Harvard. The topic of research will be agreed upon between the fellow and the Curator of European Art, considering the needs of the museum and the specialty of the fellow.
• Assist with a broad range of other curatorial activities, including preparation of collection gallery installations and interpretive materials, cataloguing of the permanent collection in the Art Museums’ database, assistance with new acquisitions and donor cultivation.
• Foregrounding the museum’s teaching and research mission, the Curatorial Fellow also helps provide content expertise and support for the Art Museums’ Art Study Center by supporting classes and individual appointments, participates in a series of art handling workshops, and contributes to a rich offering of public and academic interpretive programs across various platforms. The Fellow will be an active member of the Fellows’ cohort intellectually and socially and contribute to a final group project, likely in the form of a Fellows colloquium.
• The Fellow may supervise students and temporary employees.

Basic Qualifications

Candidates must meet these basic qualifications in order to be considered for this position:
MA in Art History or related field

Additional Qualifications

• PhD strongly preferred (specialization in European or British paintings desirable)
• Commitment to fostering the appreciation of works of art in a museum context
• In addition to excellent English, written and spoken proficiency in French, Italian, Spanish, German or Dutch preferred
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills; ability to work independently as well as collegially
•  Curatorial or related experience a plus though not required