Expert Tribal Art

Catawiki; Belgique; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catavoucher on joining

Catavoucher on birthday

Extra day off for personal pursuits

Job summary

Catawiki, a leading online marketplace for special objects, seeks an Art & Antiques specialist focused on Southeast Asian, Oceanic or Americas collections. You will curate auctions, assess authenticity, and help sellers optimize estimates, reserves, and presentation.

The role involves building relationships with dealers and collectors across Europe and beyond, with periodic travel. You will bring deep knowledge of diverse art categories, strong research skills, and excellent English

Qualifications

• Specialist expertise in Southeast Asian, Oceanic or Americas Art & Antiques.
• Experience in art, antiques, auctions, galleries or online marketplaces.
• Strong research using literature, archives and auction records.
• Good understanding of European art & antiques market and auction dynamics.
• Commercial and proactive approach to develop dealer/collector relationships.
• Strong written and verbal English communication; detail-oriented and data-savvy.
• Willingness to travel periodically; knowledge of African Art is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Curate high-quality auctions by evaluating authenticity, age, attribution, condition and provenance.
• Research provenance and apply authenticity, quality and compliance standards.
• Develop relationships with dealers, galleries, collectors and professional sellers across Europe and international markets.
• Support sellers with estimates, reserve prices, timing and presentation to improve auction performance.
• Identify category growth opportunities from market insight and auction data.
• Develop and test auction themes and seller initiatives from idea to execution.

Skills

Art & Antiques expertise

English communication

Southeast Asia/Oceania/Americas focus

Proactive relationship building

Research skills

Market insight / data interpretation

Travel readiness

Job description

At Catawiki, every day brings the extraordinary! Whether it’s Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 Car, a Woolly Mammoth’s Skeleton, Lady Gaga's Jumpsuit or Usain Bolt’s running shoe, we encounter exceptional objects every day.

We’re a one-of-a-kind marketplace for buying and selling special objects. Each week, more than 100,000 unique items are auctioned, all carefully curated by our passionate in-house experts.

Having sold over 25 million unique objects, our mission is to become the world’s most popular destination for special objects. As a growing, diverse and sustainable scale-up, we proudly live by three core values. If these values resonate with you, we’d love to explore how you can join us.

• Taking ownership and driving impact
• Being open to change and feedback
• Being passionate about our mission and our customers.

Your Mission

Use your specialist expertise in Southeast Asian, Oceanic or Americas Art & Antiques to curate high-quality auctions, applying sound judgement to authenticity, provenance, quality and commercial relevance.

Combine expert curation with seller development and market insight to strengthen the category, grow high-quality supply and identify new commercial opportunities.

What You’ll Do

• Curate high-quality auctions by evaluating objects for authenticity, age, attribution, condition, provenance, market relevance and buyer appeal.

• Safeguard trust and responsible trade by researching provenance, identifying potential risks and applying authenticity, quality and compliance standards consistently.

• Grow high-quality supply by identifying and developing relationships with dealers, galleries, collectors, professional sellers and collection owners across Europe and relevant international markets.

• Support sellers with specialist knowledge and practical guidance on estimates, reserve prices, timing, presentation and object quality to improve auction performance.

• Identify category growth opportunities using market insight and auction data, including buyer demand, supply quality, sell-through and average object value.

• Develop and test auction themes, seller initiatives and process improvements, taking ownership from initial idea through execution and results.

• Share specialist knowledge and commercial insights with colleagues to strengthen curation standards, market understanding and the wider Asian & Tribal Art team.

What You’ll Bring

• Demonstrable specialist expertise in Southeast Asian, Oceanic or Americas Art & Antiques, plus good knowledge of at least one additional area within the role’s wider scope.

• Professional experience in the art, antiques, auction, gallery, dealer, collecting, curatorial or online marketplace environment, with the ability to assess authenticity, attribution, quality, condition and provenance.

• Strong research skills using specialist literature, archives, databases and auction records, alongside awareness of cultural-property, responsible-sourcing and provenance considerations.

• A strong understanding of the European art and antiques market and auction dynamics, including estimates, reserve prices, sell-through, buyer demand and supply quality.

• A commercial and proactive approach, with the confidence to develop relationships with dealers, collectors and professional sellers and identify opportunities for category growth.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English, attention to detail and sound judgement, with confidence using digital platforms, data and research tools.

• The ability to work independently, take ownership and collaborate effectively, with willingness to travel periodically. Expertise in African Art & Antiques, an established specialist network, relevant additional languages or broader regional expertise are strong advantages.

How We Work

• Work closely with experts, account managers, Business Development, Marketing, the Category Lead and Category Manager to develop opportunities and strengthen auction performance.

• Take ownership of opportunities and projects while contributing to shared team goals and openly sharing specialist knowledge.

• Research beyond your primary specialism, recognise the boundaries of your expertise and seek additional specialist input when needed.

• Combine object-level research, seller relationships and auction performance data to inform decisions and continuously improve ways of working.

Where You’ll Be

This is a Europe-based role that can be based in any of our European offices.

Why You'll Love Working with Us

• Create a visible impact by working at scale in a global organisation serving millions of customers across 80+ categories. In our flat structure, every role has a broad scope and directly impacts both our customers and the business.
• Learn and grow through our Learning & Development initiatives, including clear development plans and mentorship programmes to support your career progression.
• A culture of connection defines us. We’re a passionate, diverse team of 800+ Catawikians representing 60+ nationalities. We foster an inclusive and queer-friendly environment where everyone is encouraged to bring their full self to work.
• Celebrate life’s moments with us. You’ll receive a €100 Catavoucher when you join, a €50 Catavoucher on your birthday, and an extra day off each year to “Pursue Your Passion” . We also offer additional leave for key work anniversaries and important life events. Benefits may vary by location.

Our Offices and Way of Working

Our vibrant offices in Amsterdam and Lisbon are designed to inspire collaboration. Most Catawikians operate in a hybrid setup, combining office-based and remote work, with a minimum of two days per week in the office, unless a role is explicitly stated as fully remote or fully office-based.