Researcher and writer, secondary market

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 25th November at 5:30pm

Reporting to: Senior Researcher and Writer, Secondary Market (London)

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 6.00pm (additional hours as required)

Play a key role in shaping White Cube’s global secondary market – researching, writing, and producing materials that illuminate modern and contemporary art.

A core member of White Cube’s dynamic secondary market team, the Researcher and Writer will conduct object research and due diligence for incoming consignments and acquisitions, producing sales materials and contributing to the gallery’s art fair and exhibition programmes globally. This role will involve close collaboration as part of the secondary research team based in London and New York, as well as with the wider secondary and sales teams across White Cube’s global locations, working to uphold the gallery’s high standard in research and writing.

Job responsibilities

• Conduct in-depth provenance, exhibition history, and literature research for secondary market artworks under consideration for acquisition, consignment, or sale, using catalogues raisonné, archives, library materials, online databases and other resources.
• Work as part of the secondary research team to verify authenticity and contextualise artworks within an artist’s broader oeuvre, liaising with external scholars and experts as appropriate.
• Write accurate and persuasive copy for secondary market artworks that effectively communicates their historical and market significance.
• Work as part of the secondary research team to ensure a consistent approach to research and writing methodology, also liaising with the Editorial and Publications teams as appropriate in order to uphold White Cube’s global voice.
• Design and produce sales offer documents for secondary artworks, following White Cube’s house style to ensure clarity, consistency and aesthetic impact.
• Collaborate with the Market Analyst and Object Intelligence Researcher to produce internal research documents that support the sales team’s efforts by providing strategic insights and contextual information.
• Collaborate with White Cube’s sales, curatorial, and technical teams as part of the research and due diligence process.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive record keeping for all secondary artworks.
• Help to maintain and expand White Cube’s internal databases, ensuring accuracy and accessibility of cataloguing and research materials.
• Help to maintain and expand the secondary research library plus digital research resources.
• Help to track major exhibitions and publications relevant to the gallery’s secondary market program, as needed.
• Assist with auction enquiries, as needed.

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a fine art category, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum two years of experience within a leading gallery, auction house, or art advisory firm.
• Strong interest in the Modern and Contemporary Art market.
• Exceptional research skills, including experience working with auction databases (Artnet etc.), catalogues raisonné and other primary source materials.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills, with the ability to synthesise complex research into clear, compelling texts.
• Highly organised and detail-oriented, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and with confidential information.
• Proactive and creative at problem solving.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively across multiple
  teams and time zones.
• Proficiency in additional languages is a plus.

To apply for this role, please complete the application form and submit a copy of your CV and a cover letter. This role will close on Tuesday 25th November at 5:30pm and we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.