Seeking curator

The Van Abbemuseum is committed to presenting and collecting modern and contemporary art, activating artistic intelligences to explore and prototype how people might live, (un)learn, and move together. As a municipally funded museum within Eindhoven’s social welfare framework, the institution carries a public responsibility: to ensure art remains a living, socially engaged force, capable of addressing technological, ecological, and political urgencies. Founded in 1936, it is one of the first public museums for contemporary art in Europe and holds over 3,600 artworks in its collection and 140,000 volumes in its art library, as well as a host of special archives. 

We commission, collect, and present art as a method of inquiry. We are in the midst of a process that continues a tradition of engaging artists as system thinkers who shape not only exhibitions, but also the museum’s way of working. This approach informs the forthcoming collection display as well as an expanded zone for civic engagement and temporary exhibitions. Exhibitions, education, research, mediation, and communication are increasingly treated as co-authored practices, bridging art, technology, ecology, and civic life. The museum seeks to create conditions for collective thinking, experimentation, and learning alongside artists, designers, thinkers, publics, and partners.

Role
The Curator is more than an exhibition-maker. You are a mediator and steward of institutional memory, repertoire, and various artistic intelligences, contributing to the museum as a site of experimentation and public imagination. You seek to critically reflect on historical frameworks and assumptions: moving beyond narrow modernist protocols, engaging multiple bodies of knowledge and expertise, and developing experiential, multivocal approaches for diverse publics. As the Curator, you shape these approaches through exhibitions, live programs, acquisitions, research initiatives, and publications, while contributing to long-term strategic policy and translating institutional vision into practice.

Key responsibilities
–Initiate, research, program, organize, and tour temporary exhibitions of international relevance, addressing intersectional themes such as ecology, civic responsibility, and timely critical analyses of 20th- and 21st-century art.
–Develop iterative institutional models: exhibitions as scores, public programs as assemblies, and the collection as active memory.
–Activate the collection through re-reading, re-performance, and re-contextualization, pairing preservation with renewal.
–Develop research-driven constellations around artists and six-month cycles, allowing exhibitions and presentations to evolve.
–Collaborate with the Director, Head of Collection, and Artistic team to maintain the museum’s collection as a living repertoire of knowledge.
–Co-write funding applications and serve on the museum’s acquisitions committee.
–Collaborate internationally within our museum networks to realize shared programs and objectives.
–Communicate and mediate exhibitions and research clearly and accessibly for internal and external audiences.
–Build and maintain local, regional, and international networks, connecting the museum to its local communities across design, technology, and civic life.
–Stay informed about developments in contemporary art and societal change, embedding plurality, accountability, and accessibility into practice.

How we work
Work is embedded in shared processes and responsibility:
–Education, mediation, research, and communication are integrated from the outset.
–Publics are collaborators, not late-stage audiences.
–Technology is both a tool and subject of inquiry, approached critically and creatively.
–The museum operates locally and internationally, avoiding provincialism or spectacle.
–Experimentation is paired with evaluation, responsibility, and institutional care.

Working context
Curators work closely with the Director and Artistic team and across departments including production, technical services, mediation, education, development, and marketing. Participation in the fundraising processes and acquisitions committee for both the collection and library is expected.

Your profile
–Advanced degree in Art History, History, Psychology, or related fields, with broad knowledge of international modern and contemporary art.
–Seven years of experience developing exhibitions in national or international museums; an established network.
–Experience in policy development, advisory work, project leadership, and fundraising.
–Strong communication skills in Dutch and English; physical presence in Eindhoven is expected.
–Producer attitude; practice-oriented approach to mediation, embracing experiential and accessible methods.
–Belief in co-authored practice and shared institutional responsibility.

Values and commitment
The Van Abbemuseum endorses the Cultural Diversity Code and strives to reflect the society it serves. Applicants from outside the Netherlands must provide a certificate of conduct (VOG) and a valid EU work permit. We encourage applications even if candidates do not meet every requirement. Equal opportunities and professional growth are core values.

What we offer
–Salary according to collective labor agreement: EUR 3,777–5,554 (36h/week), depending on experience.
–One-year contract (30–32h/week) with the prospect of a permanent position.
–28 days of paid leave (full-time equivalent) with options for additional leave in total proximate 10 weeks per year (lower when less than fulltime employed).
–17.05% flexible benefits budget.
–An excellent pension with ABP of which the employer pays 70%
–Compensation for ecological commuting (public transport is free, bicycling and driving compensated per KM).
–Learning and development programs.
–Hybrid working arrangements with home-office support.
–Additional benefits including wellness support and paid volunteer time.

Interested?
Submit your CV and details via the application button on this page before March 2, 2026.

Assignments will be provided Questions about the application: Jessy Cornelissen (jessy.cornelissen@eindhoven.nl) Questions about the role: applications@vanabbemuseum.nl