Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Associate Curator for Asian Art

The Harvard Art Museums seek a leader in the field of Japanese art history for the position of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Associate Curator of Asian Art. As a member of the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, the Rockefeller Associate Curator will steward a growing collection of c. 9,000 paintings, prints, and three-dimensional works. The incoming Rockefeller Associate Curator will contribute to the overall institutional vision for the Harvard Art Museums, bringing fresh perspectives into the museums’ presentation of Japanese art, expanding existing narratives and frameworks of inquiry through their scholarship, exhibitions, and engagement with colleagues across the art museums, the university campus, in Japan, and internationally. 

This is a five-year term position. Please see the Additional Information below.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

Responsible for the care, documentation, research, presentation, publication, and strengthening of the museums’ holdings of Japanese art. Expected to be an intellectual authority on, and to assume the full range of curatorial responsibility for, the collection of Japanese art, which spans from the Neolithic to the present, and to advise on related matters at the university when needed. Crafts an ambitious exhibition, research, and publication program for Japanese art and works closely with students and faculty to foster a significant and sustained curricular use of the collection for both undergraduate and graduate teaching. Works within a team environment and promotes dialogue, engagement, and collaboration with colleagues within the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art and with other curatorial areas that have overlapping or related collection holdings and expertise. Works closely with collectors and museum supporters, solicits gifts for the collection, recommends purchases, and assumes an active role in soliciting funds for museum purposes, including acquisitions, exhibitions, conservation projects, and publications, from individuals, foundations, federal agencies and other sources. 

The Collection
The Harvard Art Museums’ collection of Japanese art comprises about 9,000 objects, including c. 5,000 prints. The collection has notable strengths in medieval and early modern narrative arts (including the oldest complete illustrated cycle of Genji paintings), Edo period paintings (the promised gift of the Feinberg Collection), and woodblock prints. It also includes important examples of Kamakura-period Buddhist art. Recent acquisitions have focused on Nihonga painting and contemporary transglobal arts in a variety of media, as well as prints by modern Japanese women artists.

Physical Requirements: This position is primarily conducted in an office environment. There will be local travel to other Harvard Art Museums sites in Cambridge and Somerville, MA.