The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) Seeks a Curator
Salary range: $110,000 – $120,000
Application deadline: April 27, 2026
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) seeks a dynamic and creative curator to serve as The John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Curator of Contemporary Art, an endowed position. This curatorial post leads the exhibition, interpretation, cultivation, and strategic growth of the Museum’s contemporary art holdings. The Curator will be an inventive exhibition-maker, collaborative colleague, strong communicator, and effective advocate for artists and ideas. The successful candidate will combine intellectual leadership with diplomatic skill, donor engagement experience, and a commitment to public relevance.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest and most distinguished encyclopedic art museums in the United States. Founded in 1876, the Museum today stewards a collection of more than 240,000 works of art spanning over 2,000 years of artistic achievement across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Displayed in more than 200 galleries, the holdings range from early Asian ceramics and medieval sculpture to Renaissance painting, Impressionism, and cutting-edge contemporary art. The Museum is internationally recognized for its exceptional collections of American art, including the world’s most significant holdings of Thomas Eakins, as well as one of the largest collections of works by Auguste Rodin outside of Paris. Distinguished holdings in arms and armor, textiles, decorative arts, photography, and architectural ensembles further reflect the Museum’s global and interdisciplinary scope.
In May 2021, the Museum unveiled the completion of its landmark interior renovation and expansion, the Frank Gehry-designed Core Project, the culmination of more than a decade of planning and phased construction. This $233 million initiative added approximately 90,000 square feet of newly accessible public space, including about 20,000 square feet of new gallery space, while restoring and reopening long-closed areas within the historic 1928 Beaux-Arts building. The project introduced the dramatic multi-level Williams Forum, reimagined Lenfest Hall and other public spaces, improved accessibility and visitor circulation, and created new opportunities for collection presentation and interdisciplinary programming. With the physical transformation complete, the Museum has been focused on activating these renewed spaces through dynamic exhibitions, installations, and commissions.
The Curator of Contemporary Art reports to the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Curator and Head of Modern and Contemporary Art and works alongside peer-level curators responsible for Modern Art, Design, and Craft and Decorative Arts. Cross-departmental curatorial working groups regularly review exhibition proposals and foster collaboration. Departments of Exhibition Planning, Conservation, Learning & Engagement, Marketing, and Development serve as essential partners in realizing curatorial initiatives.
Within this framework, the Museum’s contemporary art collection, defined as art created roughly after 1960, exists in dynamic dialogue with the modern collection, which spans approximately 1905 to 1960. Together, these holdings trace the evolution of artistic experimentation across the 20th and 21st centuries. The contemporary collection comprises approximately 1200 works of painting, sculpture, film, and digital media. It includes major works by artists including Agnes Martin, Cy Twombly, Barkley Hendricks, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman, Bob Thompson, Ellsworth Kelly, Eva Hesse, and Robert Rauschenberg, among many others. A defining strength of the Museum’s holdings is its unparalleled depth in the work of Marcel Duchamp, whose career and influence straddle both modern and contemporary practice; the PMA holds the most comprehensive collection of Duchamp’s work in the world.
The Curator of Contemporary Art directly supervises one full-time curatorial fellow (the Daniel W. Dietrich II Fellow in Contemporary Art) and may oversee additional interns or project-based staff. Building on its historic strengths, the contemporary program is actively seeking to broaden representation, particularly in works by Black artists, women artists, and artists connected to Philadelphia, while positioning contemporary art meaningfully within the context of an encyclopedic museum.
The Opportunity
The Curator of Contemporary Art joins the PMA at a moment of renewed institutional focus and public visibility. Following a period of staff transition and heightened public scrutiny, the Museum is moving forward with clarity of purpose, strong executive leadership, and a commitment to reinforcing trust, collaboration, and artistic excellence. Contemporary art is central to that momentum. With newly reimagined gallery spaces and active strategic planning underway, the role offers meaningful opportunity to shape the Museum’s next chapter.
Responsibilities and Expectations
Exhibition Leadership: Conceive, develop, and realize high-visibility temporary exhibitions that reflect creative ambition, intellectual rigor, and broad public appeal. Guide projects from initial concept through research, budgeting, interpretation, installation, and post-opening evaluation in close collaboration with Exhibition Planning and cross-departmental partners.
Commissioning Strategy: Reinvigorate and expand a dynamic program of artist commissions, identifying opportunities to activate public spaces with innovative, site-responsive work.
Collections Development and Stewardship: Identify and recommend works for acquisition that strengthen and diversify the contemporary collection. Recommend deaccessions where appropriate. Prepare materials for internal and trustee review, contribute to strategic collection planning, and collaborate with Conservation and Collections Management to ensure best practices in care, documentation, and display.
Committee and Donor Engagement: Partner closely with the Modern and Contemporary Art Committee to cultivate relationships, advance acquisition priorities, and steward long-term philanthropic support. Engage trustees with clarity, diplomacy, and thoughtful advocacy.
Public Engagement and Visibility: Serve as a visible ambassador for contemporary art at the PMA through public talks, gallery presentations, community partnerships, and participation in national and international art fairs and professional forums.
Scholarly Contribution: Conduct original research and contribute to exhibition catalogues, interpretive materials, and related publications. Maintain active engagement with contemporary discourse and professional networks.
Team Leadership: Supervise the Daniel W. Dietrich II Fellow in Contemporary Art and mentor interns or project-based staff as assigned, fostering a collegial and inclusive working environment.
Departmental Collaboration: Work in close partnership with colleagues across curatorial departments to situate contemporary art within an encyclopedic context and foster interdisciplinary dialogue. Participate actively in exhibition review and strategic planning processes.
Operational Discipline: Manage budgets, timelines, and institutional processes effectively, balancing ambition with responsible stewardship of resources.
Experience, Skills, and Attributes
- Five to seven years of progressively responsible curatorial experience in contemporary art, preferably within an art museum or closely related cultural institution, with increasing scope in exhibitions, collections, and institutional engagement.
- An advanced degree in art history, museum studies, or a related field is strongly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience demonstrating scholarly depth and curatorial leadership.
- Demonstrated success developing and managing temporary exhibitions, artist commissions, and permanent collection installations that balance intellectual rigor with broad public engagement, including oversight of budgets, timelines, interpretation, and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Experience with collections stewardship, including acquisitions, artist commissions, loans, deaccessioning, documentation, and collaboration with conservation and collections management, with a clear understanding of professional and ethical standards.
- Proven people-management and mentorship experience, including supervision of fellows, interns, or junior staff, with the ability to build trust, support professional growth, and foster a collegial and inclusive team environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with trustees, donors, artists, scholars, critics, and public audiences through presentations, publications, and community dialogue.
- Ability to apply strategic thinking to multi-year planning and complex initiatives, aligning curatorial vision with institutional priorities, gallery strategies, commissioning initiatives, fundraising realities, and defined budgets.
- Comfort working in a donor-aware environment, supporting cultivation, acquisition, and commissioning efforts in partnership with an engaged trustee committee while maintaining scholarly independence and curatorial integrity.
The PMA is Committed to an Inclusive Workplace
The Philadelphia Museum of Art actively seeks to employ a diverse group of people who embody its organizational values. It welcomes and encourages individuals of all backgrounds to apply, especially those from marginalized and underrepresented groups in the museum field, who are inspired by its shared purpose and enjoy working collaboratively with others.
The Museum is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status.
Research shows that women and individuals from under-represented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. It is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.
Compensation
The salary range is $110,000 – $120,000 commensurate with experience, plus an attractive benefits package.
How to Apply
To apply in confidence, submit application online HERE by April 27, 2026.
A complete application should include:
1) A cover letter expressing interest in the position and giving brief examples of past related experience.
2) A CV with exhibition and publication history.
3) The names and contact information for three professional references, indicating your relationship with them, preferably supervisors and/or direct reports.
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as candidates will be considered on a rolling basis. All applications and nominations are kept confidential; we will not contact references without your permission. Nominations are welcome. For more details, visit: www.museum-search.com/open-searches.
Questions should be directed to Dan Yaeger, Senior Search Consultant, Museum Search & Reference, via SearchandRef@museum-search.com.
