The founding director of CODART, Gary Schwartz, will be retiring when he reaches the age of 65, in June 2005. On 1 July 2005 he will be replaced by the successful applicant for this position.

Since its start in January 1998, CODART has established itself as a leading international organization for museum curators. With its concentration on collections of Dutch and Flemish art, it has provided curators in this field with a platform not available for specialists in any other school. Its annual congresses have become a fixture in the working year of curators from thirty countries, establishing ties of trust and friendship between colleagues from around the world. CODART study trips have so far focussed attention on the Dutch and Flemish holdings in seven European countries and the Boston area. CODART is recognized as a valuable partner not only by the museums to which its members belong but also by the governments of the Netherlands and Flanders, the diplomatic services of those countries and the host countries we visit, and other cultural and educational organizations involved with Dutch and Flemish art. The CODART website is the premier facility of its kind, offering unparalleled Internet access to museums and exhibitions featuring art from the Low Countries.

Since its inception, CODART has been funded under various programs of the Dutch and Flemish governments, with incidental contributions from other sources. The director shares responsibility with the board for applying for funding and reporting to the funding bodies. He evaluates program and performance constantly, from the perspective of sponsors, members and partner institutions as well as the organization itself, its staff, board, committees and suppliers.

Above and beyond these organizational responsibilities, the director is expected to devote himself to the mission of CODART, intensifying world focus on the Dutch and Flemish art in museums. He or she is expected to read not only art journals but also the daily newspapers, with an eye to seizing opportunities to stimulate cooperation between its members and outside organizations. CODART is mainly a network organization, but the ideal that it serves is larger than that. It is a cultural phenomenon, the dispersal of Dutch and Flemish art throughout the world, through the centuries, and the interaction of that art with numerous cultures, especially the living cultures of our own day. The director is expected to bear this in mind, to serve as an ambassador for this function and to do whatever presents itself as a possibility to further the aim of CODART.

The qualities we are seeking in a candidate are:

• A background in art history or museum work
• Strong affinity with the art of the southern and northern Netherlands
• Management experience
• A networking temperament
• Inclined to communicate openly and constantly
• Professional writing and speaking abilities (English and Dutch), reading ability in other languages
• Understanding of digital information processing and website management
• International orientation
• Enthusiastic and inspiring personality

 

An extra qualification that will weigh in the choice is recognition in the museum world or the field of art history.

Deadline for applications: 14 February 2005

The directorship of CODART entails a four-day week. Salary and secondary work conditions to be discussed with the application committee.

Applications, with statement of motivation and curriculum vitae, should be sent to the chairman of the board of CODART:

Henk van der Walle
Bisschopsstraat 16
NL-7513 AK Enschede
Tel: +31 53 431 6744
Fax: +31 53 432 9401

Travel expenses will be paid for candidates who are invited to a meeting with the application committee. For general queries, call the CODART office manager, Navany Almazan, +31 20 3054 515.

CODART is registered as a non-profit foundation in the Netherlands.