CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Job offer: The Rijksmuseum seeks a new head of the Rijksprentenkabinet

As the National Museum of Art and History, the Rijksmuseum holds canonical collections of Netherlandish fine and applied arts and historical artefacts from the Middle Ages onwards, supplemented by important holdings of European and Asian art. Its principal function is to study, enhance and augment these collections and to present them for the enjoyment and benefit of a broad national and international audience.

The Rijksmuseum is currently seeking a new:

Head of the Rijksprentenkabinet (Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs)

36 hours per week

The department

Established in 1807, the Rijksprentenkabinet contains and cares for one of the most important collections of prints, drawings and photographs in Europe. In addition to a team of curators, the staff includes employees engaged on specific projects and interns. The Rijksprentenkabinet is responsible for formulating and implementing policy on developing, preserving and managing the collection, as well as engaging in scholarly research and transmitting the knowledge acquired to a broad audience by means of publications, lectures and presentations at the Rijksmuseum and at other museums. Within the areas included in the collection, the Department strives to maintain its world-class caliber of scholarship and to share its expertise with others, partly through collaboration with other institutions in The Netherlands and abroad.

The position

As Head of the Rijksprentenkabinet, you will be a recognized authority in one of the fields covered by the collection and act as an inspiring leader of the department as a whole. You will promote innovative and interdisciplinary academic research, bearing in mind the collections of Dutch History, fine art, decorative arts and design in the museum. As head of the Rijksprentenkabinet, you will have a clear vision of the Rijksmuseum’s overall policies with responsibilities for those related to your department. You will have an affinity with both the collection and with Dutch art in general, combined with an international outlook making use of an established and extensive network. The head of the Rijksprentenkabinet is expected to make a substantial contribution to the development of The New Rijksmuseum. Temporary exhibitions and publications, the latter both in book form and new media, will make an important contribution to the collection’s reputation. You are professional and you are able to communicate your knowledge of the collection enthusiastically to others, including the press.

Key duties

– To supervise all activities of the Rijksprentenkabinet, in consultation with related departments (primarily Fine Arts and Dutch history, but also Exhibitions, Collections Management, Conservation and Restoration, Public & Education, and Front Office) in a manner that ensures the implementation of agreed plans in regard to the preservation, management, research and presentation of the collections.
> – To develop and implement short- and long-term policy on research, collection, development, preservation, management and presentation and to execute approved plans and projects in a way that conforms to policy and planning. These policies, plans and projects should reflect and shape historical and art historical academic and museological developments, as well as visitors’ interests.
– To estimate the costs of plans, programs and projects, manage the assigned budgets and take responsibility for the results.
– To maintain and further develop the national and international reputation of the museum in historical, art historical and museological fields. This includes maintaining and extending cooperation with print, photographic and drawing collections and academic institutions in the Netherlands and abroad; maintaining the quality of academic research, management, restoration and publication; organizing and attending seminars, congresses etc. and representing the museum as an internationally recognized expert in your respective field.
– To maintain and further develop contact with collectors and dealers for the purpose of proposing acquisitions for the Rijksmuseum in the areas represented by your department and in accordance with agreed policy.

Requirements

– Art history degree, preferably at doctoral level.
– Extensive experience in managing and presenting a collection of works on paper.
– Ability to take visitors’ interests into consideration.
– At least three years’ managerial experience.
– Recognized authority, with work in leading publications, in one of the areas represented in the collection.
– An excellent command of spoken and written Dutch and other modern languages.
– Experience initiating projects and bring them to conclusion especially in an interdisciplinary and scholarly context.
– An extensive international network of colleagues and collectors.
– Understanding of works of art: ability to recognize the significance of works of art in various contexts.
– Ability to contribute to the overall vision of the Rijksmuseum and communicate your ideas within the museum, nationally and internationally.
– Ability to express an opinion honestly and convincingly.

Appointment

The appointment will be for an initial period of one year, renewable on assessment of performance, with eligibility for permanent tenure after three years.

Salary

Depending on education and experience, the gross salary will be a minimum of 46.908,- Euro and a maximum of 69.708,- Euro per year based on a working week of 36 hours, excluding holiday allowance and the end of the year allowance. The collective labor agreement for independent state museums is applicable.

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Taco Dibbits, Director of Collections, by phone on +31 (0)20 674 7300. For questions regarding the application procedure, contact Anita Jansen, Personnel Advisor, by phone on +31 (0)20 674 7326.

Applications

Please send your application (letter, CV, list of publications) by e mail (vacatures@rijksmuseum.nl), no later than 30 November. An assessment is part of the procedure.


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