Job Posting: Conservator, Department of Asian Art – The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY, NY)

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Conservator/ Asian Art Department

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s finest museums, seeks a Conservator in the Department of Asian Art.  The newly appointed conservator for Japanese painting will work closely with other conservators at the Met, especially in the Department of Asian Art, for the care and conservation of the entire collection of Japanese paintings, prints, and related works of art. The conservator will coordinate with curatorial staff, conservators, and scientists to ensure that all works of art are stored and displayed in the appropriate environment with respect to climate, lighting, and other relevant factors. In addition, the conservator will have responsibility for performing condition examination to determine if works are insufficiently stable condition for movement, either within the museum or for loan to other institutions.
Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

  • Conservation of the collection of Japanese art in the Department of Asian Art in consultation with the curator of Japanese art and the Department Chair
  • Works with Collections Management and other curatorial staff to advance the care and conservation methods, storage and exhibition methods, and the proper care and handling of paintings.
  • Collaboration with other conservators in the Department of Asian Art as well as other conservators on projects as needed
  • For special projects, collaboration with conservators in Japan affiliated with the Association for Conservation of National Treasures (ACNT: Kokuho Shore Sokoshi Renmei)
  • Condition examination for gallery rotations, as well as incoming and outgoing loans
  • Monitoring of gallery conditions
  • Generation of conservation reports and condition reports for the collection
  • Assists with the training of interns and fellows in Japanese painting conservation methods
  • Other related duties

Requirements and Qualifications:
Experience and Skills:

  • Required, the ability to independently or as part of a team remount all formats of Japanese paintings including but not limited to screens, hanging scrolls, handscrolls and albums
  • Required, experience conserving designated National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties, or non-designated works of equivalent caliber
  • Preferred, experience training in a conservation studio in Japan

Knowledge and Education:

  • Required, a minimum of ten years of training in Japanese painting conservation
  • Required, ability to communicate in Japanese at a native or near native level
  • Required, ability to communicate in spoken English at least a basic level
  • Preferred, graduate level degree or equivalent in conservation studies
  • Preferred, graduate level degree or equivalent in Japanese art history

Please send cover letter, resume, and salary history to careers@metmuseum.org with “Conservator/Asian Art Department” in the subject line.

 
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.