curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kjʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkjʊər eɪ-, ˈkjʊər ə tər /

noun

curators plural

1. the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.

2. a person who selects content for presentation, as on a website.

3. a manager; superintendent.

4. Law. a guardian of a minor or any other person who is unable to care for their own affairs, especially with regard to their property.

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curator British  

/ ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl, kjʊəˈreɪtə /

noun

1. the administrative head of a museum, art gallery, or similar institution

2. law a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• curatorship
  noun
• subcurator
  noun
• subcuratorship
  noun
• curatorial
  adjective
• subcuratorial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• curators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of curator

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) “to care for, attend to” ( see cure) + -tor -tor

Explanation

If you are the curator of the school art show, you choose which pieces will be in it and decide how they will be displayed. A curator is someone who manages an art collection or exhibit. The kind of artwork a curator manages does not have to be the visual kind. You can curate a series of readings by selecting which authors read in it and who reads together. A curator is the person who gives the overall shape and feel to an art exhibit. In law, if you are the curator of someone's estate, you have been given legal power to manage it for someone who is too young or mentally unable to do it themselves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

curator curators

“You can really see the impact she had on them,” said Kellie Jones, a scholar and independent curator who organized “Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980” at the Hammer Museum in 2011.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

This complex project was conceived by Diane Waggoner, acting head and curator of photographs at the museum, and curated by her and Kristen Gaylord, curator of photography and media arts at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Jimmy, Kynren's birds and conservation curator, and his 16-strong team care for 170 birds housed year-round in aviaries and enclosed orchards behind the 2,500-seat theatre.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Freestone became her curator after reaching out to Kreitzman over email for advice and mentorship, and is now one of her closest friends.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I always considered scientific opinion more objective than esthetic judgments,” the Getty’s curator of antiquities Marion True said when the truth about the kouros finally emerged.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

The question is: Do you buy what Duchamp and the curators are selling?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

"It's a daunting task," said Abeer Saha, who was one of a handful of curators tasked with choosing from 150 million objects across the Smithsonian -- which runs more than 20 museums and galleries.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Jewish identity and culture are examined at length in the show, but were never overtly expressed in punk, the curators note.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026

Each year, the Nortons collaborated with an artist to produce an editioned work, sending it to friends along with a wide network of curators and museum directors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

The museum purchased the statue last year when one of its curators spotted it during a preview showing of works to be auctioned by the Parke-Bernet Galleries.

From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager