Stephanie Rosenthal To Lead Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Stephanie Rosenthal, the current director of Gropius Bau in Berlin, has been named the new artistic director of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. She is scheduled to begin her new role in September 2027.

Rosenthal's appointment follows her selection in May as project director for the Guggenheim's Abu Dhabi satellite. In that capacity, she is currently overseeing the final preparations for the museum, which has been under development for two decades. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is slated to open to the public in December, at which point Valerie Hillings will become its inaugural director.

“Institutions that embrace moments of transition to innovate and to rethink the museum's role in the twenty-first century have always inspired me,” Rosenthal said in a statement.“Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is such a museum, evident in the ambition of the Depot, the world's first publicly accessible art store, and in the renewal of its modernist building ahead of reopening in 2030.” She added that her work with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi has allowed her“to expand my experience of working in collaboration with diverse audiences, artists, curators and partners to create a dynamic and welcoming sense of place and belonging.”

Originally from Munich, Rosenthal has directed Gropius Bau since 2018, after a decade as chief curator at the Hayward Gallery in London. She was the first woman to lead Gropius Bau and has been recognized for expanding the institution's curatorial focus to include more contemporary artists from outside Western Europe. She also launched the gallery's first artist-in-residence program, which included Wu Tsang, Otobong Nkanga, and Zheng Bo as initial participants.

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen closed in 2019 for a comprehensive renovation. In 2022, significant amounts of asbestos were discovered in the air ducts of the museum's Van der Steur and Bodon buildings, as well as behind wood paneling in the Van der Steur building. This discovery necessitated a“complex” removal process, particularly because the Van der Steur building, designed in 1935 by the architect of the same name, is a national monument subject to stringent regulations. The museum is not expected to reopen its main building until at least 2030. Meanwhile, its campus storage facility, the Depot, has been used as a public exhibition space.“I look forward to opening new conversations between eras and artistic practices through the museum's exceptional collection of art and design, and to further enriching its relationship with Rotterdam, a port city shaped by cultural exchange and diversity,” Rosenthal said.

We previously reported:

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation has named four curators, including Nada Raza and William Robinson, to lead the Islamic Arts Biennale opening November 1, 2027.

Source: ARTnews

MENAFN30092026005694012507ID1111741004