Curators Tend to Make Around $150,000 A Year for Major Shows

In a story out today, The Art Newspaper reports that Germano Celant’s eyebrow-raising $1 million fee for his upcoming work on Milan Expo 2015 is not standard for curators of major shows like the expo, Documenta, or the Venice Biennale. In fact, most earn just one sixth of that figure.

With over 40 curators and biennale organizers surveyed, it’s a nuanced look at the prices that help keep our independent curators independent.

“Our research suggests that top curators’ salaries typically comprise between 1% and 5% of a biennial’s total budget,” the paper reports. Salaries tend to decrease in museums, but then that’s to be expected in an art world more focused on international events.

Read more at The Art Newspaper.