GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
The Head of Provenance Research will coordinate efforts at provenance research throughout the curatorial departments of the Museum in close collaboration with the Deputy Director for Collections and Administration and the Counsel’s Office. You will work with the curators and provenance researchers embedded within the appropriate departments to confirm that proper research is undertaken on all objects currently in the collection or entering through acquisition that can be considered Cultural Property or should be examined for their Nazi-era provenance. You will play a vital role internally, coordinating between all departments throughout the Museum engaged in issues of Cultural Property, and will also be a voice for the Museum on these issues externally. In addition, you will undertake research on provenance for specific departments when necessary.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
- Coordinate all museum provenance research on objects potentially scrutinized as Cultural Property or questioned for their Nazi era provenance
- Investigate claims of Cultural Property working with curators, conservators, and scientists on provenance research and analysis
- Evaluate proposed acquisitions on risk of Cultural Property claims
- Act as a leading voice on all past and future issues of provenance research at the Museum and externally
- Influence the direction of the Museum’s outward-looking provenance efforts including communications, convenings and lectures
- Participate in provenance research conferences and seminars, engaging with an active network of provenance-related contacts
- Lead provenance research efforts in specific departments when needed, beginning with work on The Met’s collections from the Ancient Americas
- Influence the direction of training sessions for curatorial and collections management staff on the care and evaluation of Cultural Property.
- Drive communication efforts to share new provenance information with the public on The Met’s website
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
- MA or PhD in an art historical field relevant to this work; or a degree in a related field such as Law
- 10 years of experience in provenance research procedures, guidelines, and resources
- Familiarity with art market influences of the last 100 years and related to area of subject matter expertise
- Knowledge of external sources of provenance information, such as archives (both in the U.S. and other countries), including those that are not publicly available
- Significant experience improving collecting practices within museums or related organizations
- Proven communications skills navigating highly complex and sensitive topics
- Established network of contacts in the field of provenance research
- A demonstrated interest in The Met as a collecting institution committed to the highest standards of collecting practices
COMPENSATION RANGE:
- Pay Range : $140,000 – $160,000 / 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.
