Curator, Photographs

About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City-The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful work environment with a staff as diverse as the audiences we engage. Our staff members are art lovers who are passionate about working toward a common goal: creating the most dynamic and inspiring art museum in the world.

At The Met, every staff member - from security officers to researchers to scientists and beyond - lives by our core values of respect, inclusivity, collaboration, excellence, and integrity.

Respect: Engage one another with collegiality, empathy, and kindness, always.

Inclusivity: Ensure that all are and feel welcome and valued.

Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission.

Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise-and inspire curiosity and creativity.

Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve.

About the Department:

The Department of Photographs at The Met is devoted to the study, collection, and exhibition of photography and time-based media from 1839 to the present. Established as an independent curatorial department in 1992, the Department of Photographs houses a collection of more than 90,000 works as well as the archives of three American artists: Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, and James Van Der Zee. In 2025, the Department's collection of late-twentieth century and contemporary photography and time-based media was greatly expanded with the acquisition of The Walther Collection. The landmark gift comprises more than 6,500 photographs, including exceptionally important works from Africa and Asia, as well as related nineteenth and twentieth-century vernacular photography.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

As a Curator, you will have expertise in twentieth century and contemporary photography, as well as time-based media, particularly in Africa and Asia. You will act as a leader within the organization and cataloging of The Walther Collection, leading to a major exhibition planned for 2028. You will foster new research, scholarship, acquisitions, and exhibitions to enrich our understanding of still underexplored areas of global art-making. You will collaborate with other Curators, Conservators, Scientists, and Educators and act as an advocate within the wider curatorial field through the publication and presentation of your work within professional forums.

The Museum may recommend that a new hire be awarded credit for time worked in the same or similar role with comparable responsibilities as outlined in the Regulations for Curatorial, Education, Library, Conservation, and Scientific Research employees.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:

• Lead, organize, catalog, and fully research all the works in The Walther Collection, with an initial focus on those works selected for the 2028 exhibition;
• Present the art of these periods and regions within an international context, situating the artists and their work within the most pressing social, political, and aesthetic issues of their time;
• Manage the care and presentation of the collection, including potential provenance research, documentation, framing, and label writing;
• Propose art historical narratives, installations, and acquisitions that make this material come alive for audiences;
• Conduct archival research to identify new interpretative approaches to the related nineteenth-century historical material in the collection;
• Communicate scholarly research in a variety of modes-written or through lectures or gallery talks-that accommodate a variety of audience needs;
• Work collaboratively with multiple curatorial departments in the Museum, especially with ongoing projects related to the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, and the Tang Wing (The Met's new wing for Modern and Contemporary Art);
• Support and supervise the professional development of department, including junior curators, interns and fellows.
• Serve as an advocate for the museum both internally and within the wider field.
• Work independently and in collaboration/coordination with curatorial, collections, conservation, advancement, audience engagement, and administrative staff;
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's Degree in Art History, or area of specialization required. PhD or equivalent preferred.
• Expertise in twentieth century and contemporary art with a specialty in photography in Africa and Asia.
• 10 years of scholarly experience in a museum or academic institution;
• Experience working with museum collections preferred, including professional experience in cataloging, building collections, curating collection displays, and developing educational programs.
• Proven achievement in the field of modern and contemporary photography, including original research and critical inquiry in publications, exhibitions, and public speaking;
• Understanding of current curatorial practice and methodologies;
• Ability to create precise and deeply researched object records in museum databases;
• Proven project-management skills and ability to work effectively and collaboratively in partnership with other colleagues;
• Demonstrated engagement with and knowledge of artistic practice around the world;
• Commitment to maintaining a high degree of professionalism and diplomacy;
• Experience in cultivating donors and collectors;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written, oral, visual);
• Highly motivated, organized, and detail-oriented;
• Ability to contribute to an inclusive and positive work environment;
• Demonstrated competence in Met's core capabilities: (a) quality of work, (b) collaboration, (c) communication, and (d) adaptability to change,
• Ability to adapt and produce results on multiple projects with shifting priorities.
• Facility in at least one European language, especially French or German, and knowledge of a language spoken in Asia would be beneficial;
• Experience with the following software: The Museum System (TMS), Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office Suite.

COMPENSATION RANGE:

• Pay Range: $120,000.00 - $165,000.00 / Annually
• The advertised pay scale reflects the good faith minimum and maximum salary range for this role. The advertised pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage for any specific employee. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may be dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's experience, education, special licensing or qualifications, and other factors.

Location Requirements

At time of employment, employees are expected to be located within commuting distance of the Museum. "Commuting distance" means that they are located in one of following states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Pennsylvania (the "Tri-state and PA" areas), and be able to commute to and from the Museum in a single day.

Benefits Offerings

The Museum provides competitive compensation, and generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees. Note: Benefits Offering may differ based on Employee Status.

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 403(b) basic retirement plan and optional matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match
• Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 13 Museum holidays
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Account (pre-tax income for eligible health care expenses)
• Commuter benefits (pre-tax income for parking or mass transit expenses)
• Free financial-planning services
• Financial assistance for relevant coursework, seminars, and training programs
• 25% discount for staff in Museum shops
• A subsidized staff cafeteria
• Access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

We recognize that it is highly unlikely that someone meets 100% of the desired attributes for a role. If much of this job description describes you, then please apply for this role.

The Met is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, The Met will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed in this process, please contact benefits@metmuseum.org.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, marital status or domestic partner status, genetic information, genetic predisposition or carrier status, gender identity, HIV status, military status and any other category protected by law in all employment decisions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, training and apprenticeship, promotion, upgrading, demotion, downgrading, transfer, lay-off and termination, and all other terms and conditions of employment.

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