THE WALLACE COLLECTION

The Wallace Collection is an internationally outstanding collection whichcontains unsurpassed masterpieces of paintings, sculpture, furniture, arms andarmour and porcelain. Built over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by theMarquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, it is one of the finest and mostcelebrated collections in the world.So that it could be kept together and enjoyed by generations of visitors, thecollection was given to the British Nation in 1897. It was an astonishing bequestand one of the greatest gifts of art works ever to be transferred into publicownership. Today, our job is to maintain, research, and inspire the public to loveand understand the Collection. 

Salary

£22,357 to £23,620

Location

The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, W1U3BN. 

OVERALL PURPOSE AND ROLE

The Wallace Collection is delighted to honour the memory of Enriqueta HarrisFrankfort with a Fellowship post. Before her death in 2006, Dr Harris Frankfortwas a leading authority on Spanish painting in the UK, particularly the works ofVelázquez and Goya. One of her most notable contributions to the field was herresearch into the historical context of Velázquez’s painting, Baltasar Carlos inthe Riding School, a version of which is in the Wallace Collection, so it isextremely fitting that we commemorate her achievements with this positionwhich will assist with the Collection of Spanish art and European paintings moregenerally.The Wallace Collection is proud to be collaborating with the Centro de EstudiosEuropa Hispánica (CEEH) in the appointment of this role, and is extremelygrateful for their on-going support. 

This post is intended to strengthen and support the curatorial team, specificallyin its research activities in the field of Spanish art, and to provide significanthands-on experience for someone intending to make a career in curatorship. Itis envisaged as a training opportunity for someone with some curatorialexperience and formal academic training. As part of a small curatorial team, thepost-holder will have direct involvement in and responsibility for activitiesconnected with the care and presentation of the collections and will carry out awide range of day-to-day duties in the museum.

Responsibilities

The Enriqueta Harris Frankfort Fellow will need to have an interest in Spanish

art as well as European art more generally.

There are two main areas of responsibility.

The following are the main elements of the job as they relate to Spanish art:

ï‚· Conducting research on Spanish painting and other Spanish and Spainrelated works of art

ï‚· Assisting in establishing the Wallace Collection as a centre for the study

of Spanish art

ï‚· Organising and administering conferences, study days and colloquia on

Spanish art

ï‚· Giving public talks and other lectures in the galleries or on social media

and the museum’s digital platforms

The other responsibilities will include, but may not be limited to:

ï‚· Regular checks on the galleries and gallery interpretation materials

ï‚· Assist the curators as required, including providing support for long-term

research projects, object and image research, maintenance of object

files, photocopying and filing, exhibition and display preparation, and

other administrative tasks

ï‚· Assist with object moves in the galleries, temporary exhibition and

display change-overs, object photography and filming in the galleries

 Assist with the museum’s loan programme, including participation in local

or domestic courier trips

ï‚· Co-ordinate signage in the galleries, including labels

ï‚· Act as curatorial co-ordinator for routine gallery maintenance and small

works, and ensuring protection of works of art including, if necessary,

their removal

ï‚· Co-ordinate and help with cleaning cases in the galleries

ï‚· Assist with the organisation and running of the History of Collecting

seminars programme

ï‚· Assist with the administration of publications, as requested 

ï‚· Assist with the administration of meetings and lectures by specialist

groups

ï‚· Answer general curatorial enquiries, and assist with the supervision of

visitors to the Library and to study objects in the Conservation workshop

ï‚· Give Gallery Talks and general tours of the collection

ï‚· Liaise with the Events department about upcoming events

ï‚· Assist with evening events as required (presence at commercial events

attracts overtime payments).

ï‚· Ensure that changes to object records in the collection management

system are reflected in the Bloomberg app.

Key Relationships

Curator of Works of Art and Sculpture

Head of Curatorial and Curatorial Department

Collection Care and Conservation Department

Facilities Department

Communications Department

Learning Department

Librarian

Events Department

Reporting Structure

Curator of Works of Art and Sculpture

Person Specification

ï‚· A passion for art and an appreciation of the Wallace Collection and its

collections

ï‚· Academic curiosity

ï‚· A high level of self-motivation

ï‚· A meticulous attention to detail

ï‚· The ability to integrate well with colleagues in a small team

ï‚· The ability to communicate well with people, including Collection staff,

visiting scholars, outside contractors and members of the public

ï‚· The ability to work effectively and efficiently under pressure

ï‚· A clear communication style, including an ability to communicate on social

media and film

ï‚· An appreciation of the role of a national museum, especially its need to

balance the care of the works of art with service to its public

Skills/Qualifications

ï‚· A post-graduate degree in European Old Master art, preferably a Spanish

art-historical subject

ï‚· A demonstrable interest in, and knowledge of, Spanish art as well as

European art generally

ï‚· A demonstrable interest in curatorial work

ï‚· Proven written & oral skills

ï‚· Demonstrable organisational skills and the ability to multi-task

ï‚· Excellent IT skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Adobe

Photoshop or similar photo editing programme). Sketch-Up would be an

advantage

ï‚· Solid knowledge of the Spanish language

ï‚· Flexibility and the ability to balance a busy work-load with a number of given

projects and deadlines

Salary, Benefits and Working Hours

The Salary for this post is within the range of £22,357 to £23,620 per annum

dependent on skills and experience.

In addition, the post-holder will receive 25 days paid annual leave plus bank

holidays and 2.5 ‘privilege’ days. Employees are also offered membership of an

occupational pension scheme and after six months satisfactory service an

interest free season ticket loan.

For this post, the normal working week is a five day week, Monday to Friday. The

normal working day will be 9am to 5pm. However, some flexibility will be expected

as occasionally the need to participate in specialist conferences or wider museum

activities will arise. Some evening work will also be required, for example

providing curatorial oversight of events held in the Wallace Collection (for which

overtime payments will be made).

HOW TO APPLY

Please complete the Application form, and the Equal Opportunities Monitoring

form, following the links provided. Please note the equal opportunities form is

used for monitoring purposes only and does not form part of the selection

process. Both forms should be emailed to recruitment@wallacecollection.org by

midnight 15th Dec 2021.

Please note late applications or applications via a CV will not be considered.

Interviews for the role will take place on either 4th or 5th October 2021.

Candidates who have been shortlisted for interview will be contacted after the

closing date. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it will not be

possible to contact or give feedback to candidates who have not been

shortlisted for interview.

Start date: Early December 2021

Appointment to the role is subject to a satisfactory Basic Disclosure check.

The Wallace Collection is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes

applications from all sections of the community.