The Assistant Conservator of Paintings will carry out examination, documentation, and technical research that will focus upon 23 paintings by Pablo Picasso in the Barnes collection. Theywill coordinate and collaborate with the painting conservation, curatorial, and research staff, and contract conservation scientists for the project. The Assistant Conservator of Paintings will work as a team member in the Conservation department and will assist with additional preventive conservation and special exhibition assignments. Treatment of selected paintings from the department priority list will be undertaken. The Assistant Conservator of Paintings is a temporary, full-time, grant-funded position with a tenure through September, 2024 in the Conservation department. The duties of the temporary position will be based at the Philadelphia campus. The position will report to the Senior Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator of Paintings.

Responsibilities:

Job Specific Competencies:

• Working alongside the painting conservation team, completes the written examination and technical study of the materials and techniques of 23 paintings by Pablo Picasso in the Barnes Foundation collection in collaboration with the Chief Conservator of Paintings and the Conservator of Paintings. Completes technical imaging for the works being studied.
• Assists with elemental analysis produced by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) for selected paintings for the project and prepares accompanying documentation. Coordinates scientific analysis with contract scientists and liaises with painting conservators, curators, and conservation scientists to determine questions to be investigated on selected works by Pablo Picasso.
• Compiles data discovered through the research project and prepares a summary paper that discusses the materials and techniques of the works by Pablo Picasso in the Barnes Foundation collection.
• Performs the examination and treatment of selected paintings from the department priority list as approved by the Senior Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator of Paintings, and in consultation with the Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator. This work will include written and photographic documentation of treatments that will be entered in the collections management database, TMS. This position works with the Senior Conservation Coordinator in the cataloguing and preparation of digital treatment documentation images for attachment to the collections management database, TMS.
• Prepares condition reports for incoming and outgoing loans of the Barnes Foundation study and lending collection paintings for temporary exhibition loans, as requested. Participates in condition reporting for temporary loans to the Barnes Foundation for the temporary exhibition program.
• Works with the conservation department to accomplish preventive conservation tasks, such as collections housekeeping, by performing routine dusting of collection objects; observes and reports signs of deterioration and damage; monitors collections for theft, loss, or misplacement of items.
• Assists the Senior Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator of Paintings in the guidance and mentoring of department pre-program interns, as requested.
• Assists in the ongoing education of Barnes Foundation staff, contract conservation staff, and interns on the basics of conservation; participates in both written and verbal presentations on conservation to staff, students, docents, or public constituents of the Barnes Foundation, as requested. Lectures on conservation issues or studies of materials and techniques to staff, students, docents, or public constituents of the Barnes Foundation, as requested.
• Stays abreast of the field by attending conferences as funding permits, reading professional journals, and conferring with colleagues. Delivers research papers at professional meetings and/or publishes in professional journals as departmental funding and time permits.
• As a team member of the conservation department, assists in the research and maintenance of supplies and equipment in the conservation department, as requested. Maintains a safe and professional workspace.
• Prepares monthly progress reports to the Senior Director of Conservation and Chief Conservator of Paintings.
• Performs other duties, as requested.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Master’s degree in art conservation, or equivalent, with a minimum of one year of post-graduate experience in painting conservation.
• Knowledge of, and willingness to abide by, the American Institute for Conservation Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.
• Excellent hand skills and knowledge of current conservation treatment practices.
• Experience with digital imaging for conservation documentation.
• Experience with x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, highly desirable.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well with others as well as to work independently.
• Capacity to manage deadlines.
• Experience with collections management databases, especially Gallery System’s, The Museum System (TMS), highly desirable.

About the Barnes: Established as an educational institution, the Barnes Foundation carries out its mission by promoting appreciation of the arts and horticultural science, through the preservation, presentation, and interpretation of the collections of Albert C. and Laura L. Barnes.

Celebrated for its exceptional breadth, depth, and quality, the Barnes's art collection has exceptional holdings of Impressionist, post-impressionist, and Modern art, and encompasses African Material Culture, Native American pottery and textiles, antiquities, Pennsylvania German decorative arts, metalwork, and more.

The Foundation engages diverse audiences through high-quality programs, including numerous special exhibitions and commissions, that reflect the range of the collection and our founders’ innovative educational vision. Recent initiatives have included the first US exhibition of the French painter Suzanne Valadon, a show that explored the enduring significance of our Native American collections, and a commission from Sir Isaac Julien that invites reflection on colonialism and the display of African material culture in museums in Europe and America.

Competitive Benefits Include: Group health, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; short- and long-term disability and group life insurance; 403(b) with matching contributions; Employee Assistance Program; voluntary benefits; as well as paid vacation, personal time, sick time, and holidays.

Please include a cover letter and an updated resume with your application.

The Barnes Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we’re committed to diversity and equal opportunity in our recruitment and hiring. Qualified candidates of all backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to apply for this position. Employees have rights under other laws including, but not limited to, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act. We participate in E-Verify.