Gertrude Rosenthal

Gertrude Rosenthal (1903-1989) was an art historian who served as the chief curator of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Early years Gertrude Rosenthal was born in Mayen, German Empire in 1903. In 1923, she received her baccalaureate, but with the financial strife that beset Germany in the wake of World War I, Rosenthal was unable to advance directly to university. She obtained a job in the bookstore Kolnische Zeiting where she read many volumes about art history which fostered her interest and expertise in the subject until she had the funds to enroll in the University of Cologne. Although she wanted to study Antoine Watteau in France, her professor did not let her; thus, she went to Rome to study French sculpture of the High Baroque period instead. She was also instrumental in getting collectors to donate their art to the institution and played a significant role along with the museum director at the time, Adelyn Dohme Breeskin in securing the Cone collection. After her retirement in 1969, Rosenthal continued to retain ties with the BMA until her death in 1989.

Honors Gertrude Rosenthal held honorary doctorates from Goucher and the Maryland Institute College of Art and was a senior fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts. She was also a visiting lecturer at Johns Hopkins University.