The Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett invites applications for a program dedicated to drawings connoisseurship and curatorial practice, with a main focus on Italian drawings of the sixteenth century. It will be led by the Kupferstich-Kabinett’s director Stephanie Buck and curator Gudula Metze who will pair up with specialists Chris Fischer (Head of the Center for Advanced Studies in Master Drawings, Copenhagen) and Heiko Damm (lecturer at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mayence). The program’s topic is chosen because of the rich yet insufficiently explored holdings of Italian Renaissance drawings in Dresden, an important selection of which will be on view in the upcoming exhibition In the Realm of Possibilities: Sixteenth-Century Italian Drawings (October 26, 2018 to January 20, 2019).

The program consists of two parts: a ten-day workshop/traveling seminar (November 29 to December 8, 2018) and an eight-day traveling seminar (mid June/July 2019).

Part one will begin with a two-day international workshop to be held in the Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett from November 30 to December 1, 2018, bringing together curators and academics to discuss connoisseurial questions such as attribution. It will also address more general challenges in researching drawings, particularly those of large and complex museums with a long history like the Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett, founded in 1720. The workshop will be followed by a day with the museum’s paper conservators to focus on the drawings’ materiality, exploring in detail questions related to technique and condition. The group will then set off for a traveling seminar to be held from December 3 to 8, 2018 with visits to the major collections of prints and drawings in Berlin (Staatliche Museen, Kupferstichkabinett) Leipzig (Museum der Bildenden Künste), and Budapest (Szépművészeti Múzeum). Whilst the seminar will focus on Italian sixteenth century drawings, it will also provide insight into the specific strengths of each collection.

The second part of the program will take place in mid June/July 2019. The group will reconvene for an eight-day traveling seminar with visits to some of the many important collections in West and/or South Germany, including the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt and Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf. The group will be joined by curators from the visited institutions.

This program is tailored to early and mid-career curators in the field of Old Master drawings and less than eight years of full-time museum work experience, particularly colleagues who work in "departments of one" where they may not have many opportunities for collection study with other specialists. Advanced graduate students pursuing a doctoral thesis in which Italian sixteenth century drawings play a critical role are also encouraged to apply.

The working languages are English and Italian. German reading skills are of advantage. The participants will be asked to prepare two short presentations on selected works. Travel, accommodation and meal expenses will be covered by the program.

Applications shall be sent electronically, in a single pdf document, to kk.disegno@skd.museum,
containing:
- A letter of intent (in English or Italian) summarizing your interest in the program, with an explanation of how participation in it will help you achieve your career goals.
- A curriculum vitae (in English or Italian) that includes your name, title, affiliation, email address, and nationality/citizenship.
- A writing sample on a topic related to the program (up to 3 pages).

Application deadline: May 31, 2018.

Participants will be selected and notified by the end of June.
Questions about the program may be directed to kk.disegno@skd.museum.

This program is supported by a major grant from the Getty Foundation, as part of The Paper Project: Prints and Drawings Curatorship in the 21st Century.