Paintings Conservator

The Museum of Modern Art; New York (NY); On-site; USD 109,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

The Museum of Modern Art is seeking a Paintings Conservator in the David Booth Conservation Department to lead conservation projects for modern and contemporary paintings. The role involves collaboration across curatorial, registration, design, and imaging teams, plus supervising junior conservators and coordinating with artists and estates.

Responsibilities include examination, documentation, and treatment of paintings, budgeting, and contributing to acquisitions and exhibitions.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in conservation or equivalent training.
• A minimum of ten years’ experience in the conservation of paintings in a modern/contemporary museum setting or equivalent.
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior conservators.
• Experience in planning treatment budgets.
• Experience working with living artists, their studio assistants, and with artists’ estates.
• Knowledge of documentation procedures including digital photography (U.V., IR, Photomicrography) and analytical instruments such as X-ray fluorescence, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy.
• Ability to communicate effectively in a highly collaborative environment including museum staff and the public.
• Experience overseeing complex exhibitions and preventive display strategies.
• Willingness to travel; on-site presence required five days a week during initial period.

Responsibilities

• Examines, documents, and treats paintings in the collection, and occasionally those under temporary custody.
• Participates in all departmental activities including acquisition, preparation of works for exhibition, maintaining works in the galleries, collection care, loans, and research including reviewing possible acquisitions.
• Monitors collection works in storage, provides advice on environmental conditions, packing, and other preventive conservation steps for the collection on an ongoing basis.
• Works collaboratively across departments at the Museum including curatorial, Collection Management and Exhibition Registration, Exhibition Planning and Administration, Exhibition Design and Production, and Imaging and Visual Resources.
• Researches historic and contemporary artist and designers’ materials and practices.
• Explores new conservation methods, tools and techniques.
• Communicates with artists and related stakeholders on in-depth conservation issues.
• Stays current with approaches to the conservation of modern and contemporary art including new treatment methods, tools, and techniques.
• Supervises, trains and mentors Assistant/Associate Conservators, Fellows and Interns.
• Prepares works for outgoing loans to borrowing institutions, which includes overseeing their safe transport and installation.
• Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Skills

Painting conservation

Team leadership

Budget planning

Collaboration

Documentation

Digital photography

Education

Graduate degree in conservation

Tools

XRF

FTIR

Raman spectroscopy

Photomicrography

Digital photography

Job description

The Museum of Modern Art is currently accepting applications for a Paintings Conservator in the David Booth Conservation Department.

Given the interdisciplinary nature of modern and contemporary art conservation, the Paintings Conservator works collaboratively on a wide range of modern and contemporary works across all curatorial departments and participates in all departmental activities, including examination, documentation, treatment, researching artists’ materials and approaches, as well as acquisition, exhibition, collection care, loan, and courier responsibilities.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Examines, documents, and treats paintings in the collection, and occasionally those under temporary custody.
• Participates in all departmental activities including acquisition, preparation of works for exhibition, maintaining works in the galleries, collection care, loans, and research including reviewing possible acquisitions.
• Monitors collection works in storage, provides advice on environmental conditions, packing, and other preventive conservation steps for the collection on an ongoing basis.
• Works collaboratively across departments at the Museum including curatorial, Collection Management and Exhibition Registration, Exhibition Planning and Administration, Exhibition Design and Production, and Imaging and Visual Resources.
• Researches historic and contemporary artist and designers’ materials and practices.
• Explores new conservation methods, tools and techniques.
• Communicates with artists and related stakeholders on in-depth conservation issues.
• Stays current with approaches to the conservation of modern and contemporary art including new treatment methods, tools, and techniques.
• Supervises, trains and mentors Assistant/Associate Conservators, Fellows and Interns.
• Prepares works for outgoing loans to borrowing institutions, which includes overseeing their safe transport and installation.
• Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Requirements:

• Graduate degree in conservation or equivalent training.
• A minimum of ten years’ experience in the conservation of paintings in a modern and contemporary museum setting or equivalent.
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior level conservators.
• Experience in planning treatment budgets.
• Experience working with living artists, their studio assistants, and with artists’ estates.
• Knowledge and experience in current methods of documentation procedures, including digital photography (U.V., IR, and Photomicrography). An understanding of the application of analytical instruments, including X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy.
• Ability to communicate effectively in a highly collaborative and variable environment including museum staff and the public.
• Experience overseeing complex exhibitions and employing preventive display strategies.
• Experience serving as courier, and ability to travel is desirable.
• On-site presence is required five days a week during the 90-day initial employment period. Thereafter the schedule is four days per week onsite, subject to change at management’s discretion, with the understanding that some weeks on-site presence five days a week will be required.

Reports to: Agnes Gund Chief Conservator

Salary: The salary for this position is $128,000 (gross) per annum

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement: Equal Employment Opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at the Museum, where employment is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic predisposition or carrier status, unemployment status, familial status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, caregiver status, arrest or conviction record to the extent required by applicable law, credit history, or any other protected category as established by applicable law, including the New York City Human Rights Law ("NYCHRL").

October 2026

Equal Opportunity Employer
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