Head of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Apply by 11:59 p.m. ET on July 27, 2026 Duties

The Curator and Head of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts is responsible for the acquisition, care, study, and display of the National Gallery’s preeminent collection of European sculpture and decorative arts before around 1920. The division consists of five curatorial departments, whose heads report to the Senior Curator of European and American Art (CEA). CEA falls under the responsibilities of the Chief Curatorial and Conservation Officer (CCCO).

Duties for this position include

Proposes, organizes, and oversees the development of major and focused exhibitions of European sculpture and decorative arts from the National Gallery's collections and through domestic and international loans. Directs scholarly exhibition planning, authors or edits catalogues, and collaborates with guest scholars and internal departments.

Manages the permanent collection of European sculpture and decorative arts through close collaboration with Conservation, Registration, Design and Installation, Imaging, and Interpretation. Oversees installations, object research, cataloguing, conservation priorities, interpretive materials, and outgoing loans.

Develops and implements collection strategies for European sculpture and decorative arts. Identifies acquisition opportunities, prepares acquisition proposals, cultivates relationships with collectors, dealers, donors, and scholars, and collaborates with Advancement to secure gifts and acquisition funding.

Conducts and oversees advanced scholarly research on European sculpture and decorative arts. Publishes original scholarship, presents lectures, contributes to exhibitions, ensures accurate cataloguing, and advances the Gallery's research mission.

Provides strategic leadership for the department by planning exhibitions, acquisitions, staffing, budgets, and long-range goals. Supervises curatorial staff, fellows, interns, and contractors, and represents the department within the Gallery and externally.

Conditions of Employment

You must be a United States Citizen.

This employer participates in the e-Verify program.

Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service

See "Other Information" section regarding Selective Service requirements.

Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation

May be required to successfully complete a probationary period

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website. It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit appropriate documentation prior to the closing date. Your resume serves as the basis for qualification determinations and must highlight your most relevant and significant experience as it relates to this job announcement. Be clear and specific when describing your work history since human resources cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Your resume must include the dates of all qualifying experience (from month/year to month/year) and the number of hours worked/volunteered per week.

Basic Requirements

Degree: museum work; or in an applicable subject‑matter field.

Combination of education and experience—courses equivalent to a major, as shown in (1) above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Four years of experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4‑year course of study as shown in (1) above.

Specialized Experience Statement
Candidates must possess at least one year of specialized experience, equivalent in responsibility to the GS-14 level in the Federal service or private sector, working with European sculpture and decorative arts in a curatorial capacity in a fine arts museum; AND demonstrated experience researching, curating, and proposing acquisitions of European sculpture and decorative art from Europe and the United States.

OPM Qualifications Standard
Individual Occupational Requirements: Museum Curator Series 1015. Associated Group standard: General Schedule Qualification Standards.

Other Relevant Eligibility Criteria
None

You must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

Expert knowledge of European sculpture and decorative arts, including history, materials, and collecting practices.

Knowledge of museum collections management practices.

Knowledge of the European sculpture and decorative arts market.

Expert knowledge of European sculpture and decorative arts scholarship.

Skill in supervising professional museum staff.

A Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

All qualified non-competitive applicants and all qualified Merit applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

The National Gallery of Art uses an application tracking system to evaluate the responses you provide in the applicant assessment questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualification requirements of this position. Then, the HR Office and/or Subject Matter Expert (SME) will conduct a quality review of your application and supporting documentation to determine if your qualifications meet the criteria for referral to the selecting official.

You may preview questions for this vacancy.

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