Organizer Information
The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly known as the Clark, is a private art museum and research institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded by American collector Robert Sterling Clark, heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune, and his wife Francine, who chartered the institute in 1950 as a permanent home for their private art collection; the museum opened to the public in 1955. The Clark's holdings span paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century, with particular strength in Old Master paintings and nineteenth-century American and French art.
Beyond its role as a museum, the Clark operates as a leading center for research and higher education, running a graduate program in art history in collaboration with Williams College and hosting fellowships, symposia, and conservation research through the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. The institute is currently preparing for the 2028 opening of the Aso O. Tavitian Wing, which will house a major gift of paintings, sculpture, drawings, and decorative arts from the Aso O. Tavitian Foundation — the collection at the center of the fellowship described below.
Title & Description
Lunde Curatorial Fellowship
This is a two-year, full-time fellowship funded by the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation, offering scholarly and professional training to an emerging curator specializing in early modern European painting and sculpture. The fellow will be based at the Clark Art Institute and will focus on organizing and contributing research materials for a scholarly catalogue of the Clark's collection of fifteenth- through eighteenth-century paintings and sculpture, including the recently gifted Aso O. Tavitian Collection. The position is intended to advance the Clark's mission of extending public understanding of art by producing a fully documented catalogue for the field of art scholarship, researching the collecting practices of Sterling and Francine Clark and their contemporaries, and generating research that will be repurposed for scholarly and general audiences, including for the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing opening in 2028. The fellow will research provenance, exhibition history, and bibliography for individual objects, coordinate technical examination of the collection with conservators, and work as a fully integrated member of the curatorial team under the mentorship of the Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture. An anticipated start date of September 2026 is noted.
Theme
No specific thematic call is stated beyond the fellowship's stated focus: the production of a scholarly catalogue of the Clark's fifteenth- through eighteenth-century painting and sculpture collection, including the Aso O. Tavitian Collection, and research into the collecting practices of Sterling and Francine Clark and their contemporaries.
Categories
- Curatorial
- Fellowship
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Research
- Jobs
- Art
- Culture
- Visual Arts
Eligibility
- PhD or ABD (All But Dissertation) in Art History required
- Demonstrated interest and prior accomplishment in the field of early modern European paintings and sculpture, through academic study and/or museum experience
- Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively
- French, Italian, and/or German language proficiency preferred
- Resourcefulness, strong initiative, adaptability, and creativity
- Strong organizational skills
- Interest in and enthusiasm for museum work, with preference given to applicants intending to pursue a curatorial career
- Minimum of six months of relevant work experience preferred
- Ability to sit at a desk/workstation and use a computer for prolonged periods
- Ability to stand for up to four hours
- Ability to physically lift up to 30 pounds occasionally to move and handle artwork
- Some travel, including internationally, is required
Program Benefits & Awards
- Two-year, full-time fellowship funded by the Asbjorn Lunde Foundation
- Scholarly and professional training toward a career as a curator of early modern art
- Full integration into the Clark's curatorial team, with mentorship from the Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Opportunity to present a public lecture on research, if desired
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 5 August 2026
- Anticipated Start Date: September 2026
Location
Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States
Additional Details
- Major duties include working with curatorial, registration, and publications staff on the catalogue's organization; assessing and building curatorial object files; organizing bibliographies, exhibition history, and provenance; assisting with identifying potential catalogue entry writers; coordinating new object photography; reviewing conservation documentation and planning conservation assessments; coordinating technical examination of objects at the Williamstown + Atlanta Art Conservation Center with the Head of Registration; and assisting with materials for additional grant and funding proposals related to the project.
- The role is described as full-time and includes "other duties as assigned."
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.