Organizer Information
The Städel Museum was founded in 1815 as a civic foundation by the Frankfurt banker and merchant Johann Friedrich Städel, and is regarded as the oldest and most renowned museum foundation in Germany. Städel's final will, dated 15 March 1815, contains the foundation deed that established the Städelsches Kunstinstitut — the original name of what is now known worldwide as the Städel Museum. The museum found its permanent home on Frankfurt's Schaumainkai, now known as the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment), by 1878. Today the Städel's collection offers an almost complete overview of over 700 years of art history, from the early fourteenth century through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical Modernism to the present, with highlights including works by Lucas Cranach, Albrecht Dürer, Sandro Botticelli, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Vermeer, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Gerhard Richter. As a private foundation with a leading position in the German museum landscape, the Städel is currently recruiting external support for this search through the recruitment consultancy Odgers.
Title & Description
Sammlungsleiter/in Deutsche, Holländische und Flämische Malerei vor 1800 (m/w/d) — Head of Collection, German, Dutch and Flemish Painting before 1800
The Städel Museum is seeking a Head of Collection for its department of German, Dutch, and Flemish Painting before 1800, within the museum's area of programming, artistic direction, and scholarly affairs, starting 1 July 2027. The role carries scholarly and curatorial responsibility for the museum's collection of northern Alpine (nordalpine) painting predating 1800, encompassing collection care, exhibition development, research, and publication activities. All duties are carried out in close coordination with the Director of the Städel Museum.
The Role Overview
- Position Type: Full-time, 39 hours/week
- Contract Type: Permanent (unbefristet)
- Reports To: Director of the Städel Museum
- Department / Programme: Deutsche, Holländische und Flämische Malerei vor 1800 (German, Dutch and Flemish Painting before 1800), within the area of Programming, Artistic Direction and Scholarly Affairs
- Working Hours: Flexible working hours with the option of mobile/remote work, depending on the area of work
Position & Tasks
- Professional/scholarly responsibility for the collection area of northern Alpine painting before 1800, including curatorial oversight of the collection holdings
- Conception, planning, and implementation of special exhibitions and collection presentations
- Scholarly research on and expansion of the collection, as well as its digital documentation
- Development and organization of new research projects, and continuation of ongoing scholarly work on the collection
- Writing of specialist texts, and creation and oversight of exhibition catalogues and other publications
- Undertaking representative duties on behalf of the museum
- Support in the development of educational/outreach offerings (Vermittlungsangebote)
- Professional/technical leadership of departmental staff, and budget responsibility
Categories
- Curatorial Practice
- Art History
- Museum Studies
- Collections Management
- Painting
- Exhibition Production
- Research
Eligibility
- A completed degree in Art History; a doctorate (Promotion) is preferred but not stated as mandatory
- Proven, multi-year professional experience as a curator, keeper of collections (Kustos), or scholarly/research associate at a museum or art institution; international experience is an advantage
- Solid knowledge of European art history, with a focus on northern Alpine art before 1800, and experience implementing publicly engaging special exhibitions
- Enjoyment of communicating with patrons and sponsors (Förderer und Mäzene)
- Excellent language skills in English and further subject-relevant foreign languages, above-average written and verbal command of language, and experience working with museum databases, preferably Axiell Collections
- Structured working style, enjoyment of teamwork, strong communication skills, and a winning, positive manner in professional relationships
- High motivation and personal initiative
Program Benefits
- Salary: Attractive and fair compensation in line with an internal company compensation system (specific figure not stated in the source)
- Pension: Company pension scheme (betriebliche Altersvorsorge) and capital-forming benefits (vermögenswirksame Leistungen)
- Workplace: Modern workplaces in historic museum buildings directly on the river Main
- Commuting: Discounted job ticket, free parking, and charging stations for e-bikes and e-cars
- Professional development: Individual support through internal and external further training/education
- Flexible working hours with the option of mobile working, depending on the area of work
- Staff discounts in the museum shops, cafés, and on guided tours, studio courses, etc.
- Invitations to staff tours of individual special exhibitions, as well as to exhibition openings and internal events
- Possibility of a Wellpass membership
- Health/dental/vision insurance, vacation days, statutory holidays, and probation period: Not specified in the source
Application Fee
None.
How to Apply?
Email application to personal@staedelmuseum.de
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 6 September 2026
- Start Date: 1 July 2027
Location
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Additional Details
- The recruitment process is supported by external recruitment consultancy Odgers; personal data submitted as part of the application may be transferred to and processed by Odgers for the purpose of supporting the application and selection process
- Processing of personal data is carried out solely for the purpose of conducting the application process and deciding on the establishment of an employment relationship, on the legal basis of Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR in conjunction with Section 26 of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)
- Odgers is bound to confidentiality and to compliance with data protection requirements; processing for other purposes occurs only where a separate legal basis or corresponding consent exists
- Application data is stored only as long as necessary for the application process and to fulfill statutory documentation and retention obligations, and is deleted after the application process concludes unless further consent has been given