Clars is seeking a Director of the fine arts department. It is one of the most important departments in the company and generally has three full time specialists plus various interns.

The applicant will have four responsibilities- 1) Ability to interact with clients to succesfully obtain consignments of fine art, which includes knowing how to evaluate the fair market value of a work of art. This may involve doing appraisals occasionally; 2) Cataloging fine art properly; 3) Ability to market the art to potential buyers; 4) The skill to manage and develop the skills of the other Fine Arts Specialists.

The applicant will also assist with the many everyday duties of the art department, including research and display of property, marketing, public relations, and administrative tasks including the review of consignor statements, inventory control and various customer service duties.

Approximately 100-200 fine paintings and prints are auctioned each month. The specialist must be able to distinguish fine art from art that is purely decorative. Each work must be described accurately and contextualized, so research is integral. Most often, research will take the form of tracking down an artist’s catalogue raisonne to confirm or negate authenticity; locating exhibition catalogues for an image of the artwork as published; tracking down experts and/or committees to authenticate a work; and locating art reviews for published references to obscure artists and/or particular works. Occasionally, research will need to be done out of the office, often at the U.C. Berkeley library.

The ideal applicant:
• Has a background in auctions, art appraisals and/or sales and marketing
• Has experience performing scholarly research
• Is fluent in a foreign language
• Has pre-existing contacts in the art and/or antiques world
• Has prior management experience.
The applicant must:
• Have a four-year college degree in Art History or related field
• Be detail-oriented and possess excellent follow-through
• Be able to work self-directed as well as function as part of a team
• Have strong organization, critical thinking and communication skills
• Have a reliable source of transportation for out-of-office appointments
• Have substantial knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel and feel comfortable learning and adapting to new computer software

You may email your resume to resume@clars.com