Career Prospects
Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675), The Geographer, 1669, Oil on canvas, 51.6 x 45.4 cm, Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Career prospects for art historians are notoriously limited. Permanent positions are rare, which is why flexibility and a willingness to engage in ongoing professional development—including in related academic fields—are important and beneficial. Nevertheless, there is a wide range of career opportunities in this area of the humanities, such as
- museums and galleries (roles such as curator, provenance researcher, Curator, storage manager, press and public relations officer, and museum educator)
- Universities (traditional academic career path, usually leading to a Ph.D.)
- Historic preservation (especially for those interested in architecture)
- Journalism (arts and culture section)
- Libraries, archives (as department heads in the field of art, in image archives)
- Auctionhouses (art trade sector)
- Tour guiding, city tours (tourism industry)
- Marketing, cultural offices