The successful applicant will hold a PhD/DPhil in History of Art and have specialist knowledge of Italian 15th-16th century drawings, together with a general knowledge of Italian art; familiarity with the Ashmolean’s drawings collection will be advantageous. You will have some experience of object-centred drawings research, original academic research and museum scholarship, possibly through having held a curatorial internship, and you will be committed to a curatorial career in the field of old master drawings. You will be aware of issues around collections care and conservation, and will have a strong interest in connoisseurship and drawings scholarship. You will have excellent organizational and communication skills, proficiency in the Italian language, and the ability to manage varying demands efficiently. You will have excellent IT skills with the capacity to use the MuseumPlus collections database.

The Role

This is the first of two successive Research Fellowships enabling the development of curatorial skills and expertise in drawings scholarship and connoisseurship, in addition to the academic experience already gained with a doctoral degree. You will carry out research and writing as part of a major project of cataloguing the Ashmolean’s Italian drawings collection, working closely with the Keeper of Western Art and consulting with other drawings specialists. Your duties will include activities relating to cataloguing, interpreting and documenting the Italian drawings collections; research travel; digitization; and student and public engagement. Based in the Department of Western Art, you will collaborate on the project with curators, collections staff, conservators and other colleagues across the Museum. The Research Fellows are supported by the Getty Foundation as part of The Paper Project, an initiative focused on prints and drawings curatorship in the 21st century. This is a fixed term post for 18 months.

The Museum

The Ashmolean Museum has been described as “unquestionably the finest university museum in the world” (The Times, October 29th, 2009). The Museum is a part of the Oxford University Museums Group and houses the University’s collections of art and archaeology together with objects and works owned by other private individuals and bodies and loaned to it. The collections themselves are of world significance. They range from archaeology to the fine and decorative arts of Europe and Asia and from coins to casts of classical sculpture. These are used for teaching and research purposes both within the University and in the worldwide academic and research communities. Above all, the Ashmolean is a great public Museum, open to all without charge.

How to Apply

All applications must be made online using the Oxford University E-Recruitment system, no later than 12 noon on Monday 6th August 2018. You will be required to upload a CV and a Supporting Statement as part of your application. Please apply using the link below - https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=135814

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Next Steps

Interviews are scheduled to take place at the Ashmolean Museum on Thursday 23rd August 2018 and you must be available on this date. Please note in normal circumstances only interview travel expenses within the UK will be reimbursed. Interviews may be arranged by Skype.