Organizer Information
The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands, located on Museumplein in Amsterdam. It traces its origins to 1798, when the Dutch government resolved to establish a national museum, which opened as the National Art Gallery in The Hague on 31 May 1800. The institution moved to Amsterdam in 1808, and its current main building, designed by architect Pierre Cuypers, opened in 1885. Following a decade-long renovation, the museum reopened in 2013 and is the largest art museum in the Netherlands, with a collection of around one million objects, of which roughly 8,000 are on display at any time, spanning Dutch arts, crafts, and history from 1200 to 2000. According to the Rijksmuseum's own vision statement, the museum's role is to connect people, art, and history, offering a representative account of Dutch art and history from the Middle Ages onward alongside major aspects of European and Asian art. The institution is organized into curatorial departments — including Decorative Arts, Fine Arts, History, and the Print Room — supported by conservation, collections management, and public-facing teams.
Title & Description
Curator of Costume
As Curator of Costume, the successful candidate will be responsible for the Rijksmuseum's costume and accessories collection, a holding that is particularly strong in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century objects, with twentieth- and twenty-first-century holdings still in development. The role calls for a curator with a clear vision for the significance and future of the collection, both within the museum and within a broader national and international museum context, helping shape its ongoing identity and profile.
The position combines object-based scholarship with institutional stewardship. The Curator will conduct research into the collection, propose acquisitions, and contribute to exhibitions and collection displays, while also serving as an ambassador for the costume collection both inside and outside the museum — situating objects in their art-historical context for specialist colleagues and general audiences alike. The role sits within a team of eight Curators of Decorative Arts and works closely with the museum's Object Conservation team, the three textile conservators, and curators across Fine Arts, History, and the Print Room, as well as with Public & Education, Development, and Communications & Marketing.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Employee, 36 hours per week
- Contract Type: Fixed-term contract of 36 hours for 1 year, with the intent to extend
- Salary: €4,379.00–€6,056.00 per month as stated in the vacancy details, though the benefits section of the same posting separately states a gross salary of €4,532.00 to €6,268.00 per month (Schaal 12 of the collective agreement for museums) — this discrepancy appears in the source and is flagged here rather than resolved
- Department / Programme: Department of Decorative Arts
- Working Hours: 36 hours per week
Position & Tasks
- Collection Stewardship
- Serve as ambassador for the costume collection within the Rijksmuseum and beyond
- Accurately situate objects within their specific art-historical context and share this knowledge with specialist colleagues and general audiences
- Steward the costume and accessories collection, overseeing its registration, documentation, access, and preservation, in close collaboration with the Object Conservation team and the storage team at the Collection Centre Netherlands (CC NL)
- Research & Conservation
- Develop research projects in close collaboration with the Object Conservation team and researchers within the Conservation & Science department
- Contribute to the development of a sustainable conservation strategy
- Undertake scholarly research into the collection and disseminate findings through publications, lectures, and presentations
- Displays & Exhibitions
- Initiate and prepare rotating displays of the collection in close collaboration with textile conservators and the Curators of Textiles and Jewelry
- Institutional Collaboration
- Contribute to and represent the Department of Decorative Arts in museum-wide initiatives, including the reinterpretation of the permanent collection display and the Women of the Rijksmuseum working group
- Collaborate with departments such as Public & Education, Development, and Communications & Marketing
- Work closely with the three textile conservators within the Object Conservation team on collection management, object treatment, and preparation of rotating displays
- Network & Acquisitions
- Maintain an international network across museum and academic communities
- Cultivate relationships with collectors and stay informed about art-market developments to propose acquisitions for the collection
Categories
- Curatorial Practice
- Costume & Fashion History
- Decorative Arts
- Museum Studies
- Art History
- Collection Management
- Exhibition Making
- Textile Conservation
- Arts Administration
Eligibility
- Recognized expert in the field, with a proven ability to communicate that knowledge to various audiences
- Academic degree in art history (minimum M.A. level)
- Substantial experience as an Assistant Curator or Curator in the field of costume
- Experience in developing displays and exhibitions, as well as publishing catalogues, books, and articles in leading scholarly journals
- Excellent command of English required
- Excellent command of Dutch required, or willingness to learn Dutch
- No nationality or country-of-residence restriction stated in the source
Program Benefits
- Gross salary of €4,532.00 to €6,268.00 per month (Schaal 12 of the collective agreement for museums), based on a 36-hour working week
- 8% holiday bonus
- 3.4% year-end bonus
- Fixed-term contract of 36 hours for 1 year with the intent to extend
- Full public transport allowance (up to €367.50) for commutes further than 5 km
- Reimbursement of expenses for secure bicycle storage at the station
- €0.21 per kilometre for commuting entirely by bicycle or on foot
- Netherlands Museum Pass after probation period, offering unlimited access to more than 450 museums in the Netherlands, plus one free guest visit to the Rijksmuseum
- Participation in various events and sports activities, such as the Rijksrun and summer and winter parties
- Access to work in and behind the scenes of a leading, internationally oriented museum alongside dedicated specialists
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Motivation letter
- Applications must be submitted only through the Rijksmuseum website; applications sent by email cannot be considered
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 23 August 2026
- First interview: 3 September 2026
- Second interview: 24 September 2026 (may include a short assignment completed during the interview)
Location
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Additional Details
- Candidates who require additional support during the application process are invited to request it; the museum states it is happy to assist.
- The recruitment procedure includes an assessment as part of the process.
- If the first interview is successful, candidates proceed to a second interview, which may include a short assignment.
- Questions about the role can be directed to Femke Diercks, named in the source as the contact for inquiries (no direct contact details given in the source).