Postdoctoral position in Art History at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen
The position is a fixed term position for two years.
Introduction
The successful candidate will become part of the research project Curating the image of the artist: Monographic exhibitions under the critical lens of feminism, financed by Novo Nordisk Fonden.
The project aims to better understand and critically investigate contemporary monographic exhibitions and the role they play in formulating the image of the artist, particularly through the lens of feminism. Monographic exhibitions focusing on individual artists, both in the forms of retrospective shows of “old masters” and solo spotlights on living artis, convey a mainstream idea of the artist to the public. They also construct the idea of the artist within the discipline of art history. This century-old exhibition format, developed in the Western tradition, remains prominent today despite the diversity of the contemporary global art world, both in museums and commercial galleries.
Monographic exhibitions proliferate. However, they tend to be overlooked as an antiquated format in the rising research field of critical exhibition history. This project will analyze specific monographic exhibitions from the past thirty years in Western, with special focus on Denmark, as well as in non-Western areas and aims to answer the questions: What can we learn from analyzing monographic exhibitions in line with critical exhibition history to understand how they establish and administer the cultural meanings of art? Why is this exhibition format still so widespread? How do monographic exhibitions negotiate and impact concepts of the artist and of art? Is it possible for monographic exhibitions not to conform to hegemonic art history?
The postdoc will collaborate closely with PI, associate professor Malene Vest Hansen.
Duties and Responsibilities
The chosen candidate will collaborate closely with PI and will be expected to publish international scholarly research articles, and to participate in editorial tasks and in the organization of activities and research events, such as seminars and workshops.
Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
Applicants will have a background in art history, exhibition and museum history; considerable knowledge of feminist theory, Danish and international museums and experience in conducting archival research. The applicant is required to be well experienced with editing.
Applicants are invited to propose their own subproject designs, but it must relate to the overall theme of Curating the image of the artist: Monographic exhibitions under the critical lens of feminism. Emphasis will be placed on whether the applicant’s project is realistic and possible to implement within the given framework. Applicants should also explain their interest in the project and how they intend to solve the task. Applicants must be proficient in Danish or another Scandinavian language to be able to work with source material in Danish.
More information on careers at UCPH and the requirement for the different academic positions is available on:
Career at The University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
For more about postdoc positions and qualification requirements, see the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (ufm.dk)
Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the “Curating the image of the artist: monographic exhibitions under the critical lens of feminism” described above.
Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.
Applications may be written in English or Danish and must include the following attachments:
- Letter of motivation
- CV
- Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)
- Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:
- Peer-reviewed publications:
- Monographs and anthologies
- Articles in journals
- Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
- Non-peer-reviewed publications:
- Publications disseminating research findings, etc.
- Research plan.
- Documentation of teaching competencies/teaching portfolio (see the UCPH guidelines for teaching portfolios here) and other work on the dissemination of research.
Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty’s strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 38,700 (EUR 5,100) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR email:
HR-soendre@adm.ku.dk please refer to ID number: 211-2177/25-2I, #2
Additional information about the position and about the overall project Curating the image of the artist: monographic exhibitions under the critical lens of feminism, can be obtained from the PI Malene Vest Hansen vest@hum.ku.dk
The deadline for applications is 23:59 on 26 May 2025 CET.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Please note in your application that you found the job at Jobindex
