Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

The Princeton University Art Museum welcomes applications for the Curator of Ancient Mediterranean Art. Reporting to the Chief Curator, and working in close coordination with the Director and Associate Director, the Curator will lead the Museum’s program in ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art, with oversight responsibility for Byzantine art. As we prepare for a new building designed by Sir David Adjaye, the Curator joins us at a dynamic time and plays a key role in the collections’ research, presentation, and interpretation.

Ancient art has been a highlight of the institution since its founding. With strengths in Greek vase-painting and Roman sculpture, the collections number over 5,000 objects from the Mediterranean, Egypt, and West Asia, including reliefs, mosaics, bronzes, architectural elements, pottery, and jewelry from a wide range of cultures, including Assyria, Etruria, and Sumer. Princeton’s record of archaeological research is illustrated by a renowned collection of Antioch-on-the-Orontes’ mosaics.

The successful candidate will have expertise in Greek or Roman art, with the ability to work across the holdings and to support connections with other collections areas. They will have organized exhibitions, a record of scholarly research, and a commitment to cultural property laws and the ethical collecting of objects. Appointment level will be based upon the successful candidate’s experience. Art Museum curatorial salary ranges are assistant curator: $70,000-$90,000; associate curator: $80,000-$100,000; full curator: $100,000-$130,000.

The Curator will shape collections displays and exhibitions, conduct research, care for objects, cultivate collectors and supporters, and initiate scholarly and public programs. With purchase endowments that allow the collections to be shaped intentionally, curating at Princeton affords opportunities rare among academic museums. Regularly teaching undergraduates and participating in guest teaching is expected, in addition to broader efforts to engage faculty, students, and other communities with the collections, including supervising research assistants and interns.

In support of the new building, the Curator will propose ways of presenting art in global, transhistorical contexts that are innovative and relevant. The ideal candidate will be sensitive to the changing role of museums, will embrace the possibilities of a campus-based museum, and will communicate effectively with scholarly and broader audiences.

A PhD in art history or a related field is preferred, together with a minimum of 4 years’ experience organizing exhibitions, including loan exhibitions, and cataloguing objects. A growing network of relationships in the communities of museums, galleries, and collectors is required.

To learn more, please visit http://artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Interested candidates should apply at https://www.princeton.edu/acad-positions/position/21761.

This position is subject to the University’s background check policy.