Stephanie Antoinette Franziska Stebich (born January 26, 1966, in
Mülheim
Mülheim, officially Mülheim an der Ruhr (, ; ; ) and also described as ''"City on the River"'', is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen. It is ho ...
) is a German-born American art historian and
curator
A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...
.
Early life and education
Born in Germany to Gehard and Ute, Stebich's family immigrated to
Scarsdale,
New York, when she was three years old. She graduated from
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
in 1984. Stebich then continued on to receive degrees in art history: a Bachelor of Arts from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1988 and a Master of Arts from
New York University Institute of Fine Arts.
Career
Stebich began her career in museum directorship in Assistant Director positions:
*
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...
from 1992 to 1995
*
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...
from 1995 to 2001
*
Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the List of largest art museums, largest ar ...
from 2001 to 2004.
In 2005, she became Executive Director of the
Tacoma Art Museum.
In 2017, Stebich was named the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
, succeeding
Elizabeth Broun.
In 2024, Stebich was removed from her role at the
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...
, due to employee complaints about her behaviour in the workplace.
Personal life
On August 14, 2016, Stebich married fellow art historian and museum director
Anne-Imelda Radice
Anne-Imelda Marino Radice (born February 29, 1948, in Buffalo) is an American art historian and curator. Radice currently serves as the Management Analyst for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Career
Born in Buffalo to Lawrence and An ...
.
See also
*
List of Columbia College people
*
List of female art museum directors
*
List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people: Sj–Sz
*
List of New York University alumni
*
List of Phillips Exeter Academy people
*
List of people from Scarsdale, New York
References
External links
Smithsonian profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stebich, Stephanie
1966 births
Living people
People from Mülheim
People from Scarsdale, New York
Emigrants from West Germany to the United States
21st-century American women
American art historians
American women art historians
American women museum directors
Phillips Exeter Academy alumni
Columbia College (New York) alumni
New York University Institute of Fine Arts alumni
Brooklyn Museum
Smithsonian Institution people
20th-century American LGBTQ people
21st-century American LGBTQ people
20th-century German LGBTQ people
21st-century German LGBTQ people