Current Roles

The Team

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 15 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role (currently a job share) and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 6 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

Senior Technician

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

Team Supervisor

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

Art Handler

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

Administrator

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

Head of Department

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.