Rosenthal’s approach to her work is rooted in care, collaboration and connection to people. At Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, alongside artists, curators, partners and audiences, she has deepened the museum’s transcultural curatorial approach and advanced a collection strategy centred on women artists, First Nation artists, and those from historically underrepresented regions.
During her career, Rosenthal has held leadership positions at leading cultural institutions in Abu Dhabi, Berlin, London, Munich and Sydney. From 2018 to 2022, she served as the first female Director of Gropius Bau in Berlin, where she developed an innovative exhibition programme with a strong focus on diversity. During her tenure, the institution presented major solo exhibitions by Yayoi Kusama, Lee Bul and Wu Tsang.
From 2007 to 2017, Stephanie Rosenthal was Chief Curator at the Hayward Gallery in London and, in 2016, Artistic Director of the Sydney Biennale. She was recently appointed to the Board of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CiMAM), the only global network of directors and curators working in museums, collections and archives dedicated to modern and contemporary art. She is also a visiting professor at NYU Abu Dhabi.