Curatorial - Near Eastern Art was created in 1944. Prior to 1944, the curatorial staff of the Freer Gallery of Art was small and focused on East Asian art; curatorial areas and titles were less defined; and visiting curators were used to help maintain the collections. The curators reported directly to the Office of the Director at that time. Curatorial - Near Eastern Art dissolved after 1990 and branched into two new curatorships: Ancient Near Eastern Art, 1987- , and Islamic Near Eastern Art, 1992- .

Richard Ettinghausen was Associate, Near Eastern Art from 1944 to 1961, and Head Curator, Near Eastern Art from 1961 to February of 1967. Esin Atil was the next curator, assuming the roles of Assistant Curator, 1971-1973, and Associate Curator, 1971-1983. Glenn D. Lowry was the final Curator of Near Eastern Art, 1984-1991.

The incumbents of the curatorial area of Near Eastern art conducted research; published; lectured; studied and translated texts, seals, and artifacts; and provided expert opinions on provenance, age, and quality about the artifacts in the Freer/Sackler collection of Near Eastern art. They researched and gave lectures in these galleries and in other research sites both in this country and abroad.