Job Description

Job Summary

Our Mission

The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks to inspire curiosity about, and enjoyment and understanding of, the visual arts by collecting, conserving, exhibiting, and interpreting works of art of outstanding quality and historical importance and is one of four programs of the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Museum operates two sites, the Getty Villa in Malibu, which exhibits its collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, and the Getty Center in Brentwood, which displays its collections of European art: Medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts; paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, drawings to 1900; and photography to the present day (including non-European works). The Museum mounts approximately 25 temporary exhibitions a year across its two sites, maintains an annual permanent gallery improvement program, and offers wide-ranging and ambitious programming for its visitors.

The Opportunity

The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks an Assistant Curator of Photographs to become a vital member of a team working with one of the foremost collections of photographs in the United States. The Assistant Curator will play an instrumental role in supporting the collection and its many audiences through acquisitions, exhibitions, original research, and innovative interpretation. This includes contributing to the ongoing work of cataloguing the collection for the museum website, including doing research, updating information, and writing descriptions of individual objects; conceiving, organizing, and generating texts for galleries and publications; and installing special and permanent collection exhibitions, as assigned. Under moderate supervision, the Assistant Curator will help develop the collection particularly in the area of Latin American photography, both historic and contemporary, maintaining and managing it in collaboration with colleagues and under the direction of the Senior Curator. The Department of Photographs is committed to developing programming that is engaging and meaningful to diverse audiences. The successful candidate will bring creative ideas and fresh perspectives to developing and interpreting the collection, key attributes for our ongoing work to increase diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, both through our internal work and through our public-facing programs.

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated professional with exceptional organizational and communication skills and experience managing projects in an iterative, fast-paced environment. A natural consensus-builder, the candidate understands how to collaborate successfully in a team with other curators in the department, as well as with colleagues across the campus, including Conservation, Design, Exhibitions, Education, Interpretive Content, Communications, Imaging Services, Preparators, and Registrars.

Major Job Responsibilities

• Applies advanced knowledge of the history of photography to curatorial assignments of moderate complexity
• Performs scholarly research
• Conceives and executes exhibitions, in addition to assisting other curators with exhibition projects and acting as presenting curator for exhibitions organized by outside institutions
• Verifies value and authenticity of potential acquisitions and participates in the preparation of acquisition proposals (both for gifts and purchases)
• Travels and networks domestically and internationally to develop/maintain relationships with other colleagues and institutions
• Publishes and lectures in area of specialization
• Updates information in collection management system website
• Contributes to the on-line presence of the photographs collection, including social media posts, Getty collection pages, blogs, and podcasts, and online exhibitions
• Supports scholarly visits and requests

Qualifications

• Master\xe2\x80\x99s degree in art history, art or art education OR 2-4 yrs of curatorial experience OR Ph.D.
• Fluency in at least one foreign language (modern or ancient) required
• Competent to work in most curatorial functions

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and collaborate with teams across disciplines
• Excellent writing and proofing skills
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail
• Working knowledge of collection management databases, preferably The Museum System(TMS)
• Demonstrated experience with art historical research and writing
• Proven experience dealing with confidential information
• Specialty in Latin American photography preferred
• Spanish and/or Portuguese language fluency preferred

Benefits and Perks

Here are just some examples that Getty offers/provides for full-time employees:

• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance coverage, starting on date of hire. Getty pays 75%-95% of the premium, depending on the plan selected.
• 403(b) Employee Investment retirement plan \xe2\x80\x93 with up to 5% Getty Match
• Getty contribution of 6%, on behalf of employee, to 401(a) retirement account
• Educational Assistance and professional development
• Paid Vacation, Sick and Personal Days
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Many positions have bi-weekly Off-Fridays
• On-Site Fitness Center at Getty Center
• Community service opportunities

To learn more about our comprehensive benefits and long list of perks, go to .

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be 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.

The Getty