2021 to present
Independent art consultant and curator
Advising estates, foundations, cultural institutions and galleries
- Builds archives, inventories and legacy strategies for artist estates and studios. See selected engagements above.
Modern art, appraised and archived.
Rani Singh is a USPAP-certified appraiser and archivist who advises artists, estates, foundations and collectors on the documentation, value and future of postwar and modern art.
Previously Director of Strategic Planning and Legacy Management at Gagosian, and Principal Project Specialist and Curator at the Getty Research Institute.
About
Rani Singh works where curatorial insight meets records management. Across more than two decades at the Getty Research Institute, Gagosian and her own practice, she has helped artists and estates document what they have made, understand what it is worth, and place it where it will be cared for.
Her knowledge runs deep in postwar art movements, digital preservation, and the changing role of an artist's legacy in contemporary culture. She is an experienced speaker and writer, and has organized symposia on archival standards, digital infrastructure and artist foundations.
She is a USPAP-certified appraiser based in Santa Monica, California.
Services
Appraisal and valuation
Written valuations of modern and postwar art for insurance, estate planning, donation and sale, prepared by a USPAP-certified appraiser. Each valuation rests on documented provenance, exhibition history and market evidence.
- Individual works and complete collections
- Estate and studio holdings
- Insurance schedules and donation records
Archives and inventory
Studio and estate archives brought into order and prepared for institutional placement. Rani designs inventories and custom databases, sets up digital asset management, and lays the groundwork for a catalogue raisonné.
- Physical and digital inventory
- Custom data management systems
- Placement with museums, libraries and research institutions
Legacy planning
Long-range plans for artists, estates and foundations. The work covers institutional partnerships, conservation, scholarship, copyright, and the creation of artist-endowed foundations.
- Founding and structuring artist foundations
- Scholarship and publication strategy
- Public engagement and institutional outreach
Curatorial and research
Exhibitions, catalogues, symposia and public programs developed with museums, galleries and estates, and grounded in archival research.
- Exhibition concept and development
- Catalogue editing and essays
- Symposia, talks and screenings
Selected engagements
- Ed Ruscha StudioOrganized and preserved studio materials and archive, and created the inventory for institutional placement.
- Larry Bell StudioDesigned a custom data management system to inventory and archive the studio's holdings.
- Agnès Varda EstateU.S. representative for Varda's photographic works. Coordinates exhibitions, institutional placements and legacy initiatives.
- Whitney MuseumCo-curated Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith.
- Bob Dylan CenterAdvised on curatorial themes and exhibition development for the inaugural exhibition in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Peter Alexander EstateCompiled an inventory of the archive for institutional placement.
- Aditya Prakash EstateAdvised on legacy-building, public engagement and long-term institutional partnerships for a key figure in Indian modernism.
- Aldo Tambellini FoundationConsulted on legacy strategy and institutional outreach.
- Taos Art CollectiveEstablished a multi-artist foundation focused on cultural development and community engagement.
Career
2017 to 2021
Gagosian
Director, Strategic Planning and Legacy Management
- Created Building a Legacy, a platform for artists, estates and foundations to preserve and advance a creative and philanthropic legacy with the gallery.
- Guided artists and estates on archive inventory, institutional placement, conservation, scholarship and foundation creation.
- Produced two international symposia on archival standards, digital infrastructure, legal considerations and artist foundations.
- Conceived the Building a Legacy column in Gagosian Quarterly, and curated public programs including In Conversation with Frank Gehry and Famously Unknown: Legacy Building in the Art World.
2001 to 2017
Getty Research Institute
Principal Project Specialist and Curator
- Led Pacific Standard Time: Art in Los Angeles, 1945–1980, a seven-year research initiative that culminated in exhibitions with more than 60 institutional partners. Conducted over 50 oral histories and supported the acquisition of 12 major archives.
- Co-curated Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture at the Getty Museum, and Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future.
- Oversaw Ed Ruscha's Streets of Los Angeles, an archival and digital project, from grant writing to exhibition.
- Developed Art on Screen, a research and programming initiative on visual art and the moving image, with lectures and screenings by Tacita Dean, Fiona Tan and Agnès Varda.
- Oversaw archive acquisitions including those of Frank Gehry, the Nick Wilder Gallery, Alexis Smith and Helen Pashgian.
1997 to present
Harry Smith Archives
Director
- Co-curated Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Art of Harry Smith at the Whitney Museum and the Carpenter Center, Harvard University, and edited the catalogue.
- Negotiated the placement of Smith's papers and collections with the Getty Research Institute and the Bob Dylan Center.
- Produced the re-issue of the Grammy-winning Anthology of American Folk Music.
- Works with museums, galleries and researchers to support scholarship.
Training and memberships
Education and training
- USPAP certification (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice)
- BA in International Studies and Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder
- Archival Certification, Modern Archives Institute, National Archives and Records Administration
- Aspen Institute for Artist-Endowed Foundations, seminar on strategies for foundation leaders
Memberships
- International Council of Museums (ICOM)
- Aspen Institute for Artist-Endowed Foundations
- Los Angeles Film Forum, board member
- Society for Cinema and Media Studies
- National Film Preservation Foundation, Avant-Garde Masters Grant selection panel
Start with a conversation.
A short note is enough. Describe the works or archive, say what the appraisal or plan is for, and tell Rani where the material is held.