Suzanne Geiss is an independent advisor and curator working at the intersection of collection building, legacy development, and site-specific commissions. Over more than three decades, she has worked with collectors, artists, estates, foundations, and institutions to shape cultural work with depth, coherence, and long-term vision.
Her practice centers on engagements at formative stages — when vision is still taking shape and the decisions made will determine what endures. She brings historical grounding, careful listening, and considered judgment to guide collectors toward intellectually coherent holdings; to help artists and estates translate careers into lasting institutional standing; and to partner with corporations and cultural institutions on commissions that align artistic ambition with architectural and civic context.
Recent projects include serving as Program Director for the Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative and as Curatorial Advisor to Robert Indiana: The Sweet Mystery at the 60th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia. She oversaw the commission and realization of a major permanent mural by Adam Cvijanovic for the vestibule of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York — the largest artwork commissioned in the Cathedral’s 146-year history — a project that received significant coverage in The New York Times, CNN, CBS News, and Artnet. She currently advises a select number of private collections and serves as Curator of Chihuly Venice 2026. Ongoing commissioning initiatives include work with leading financial institutions and real estate development partners.
Earlier in her career, Geiss spent fifteen years as Managing Director of Deitch Projects in New York, where she oversaw exhibition programming, artist development, and primary and secondary market operations. During that period, she led the cataloguing and institutional positioning of the Estate of Keith Haring and co-authored the definitive Keith Haring monograph, published by Rizzoli in 2008 — a work that remains the authoritative text on Haring’s practice. In 2012, she founded The Suzanne Geiss Company, presenting ambitious exhibitions and performance initiatives by artists including Rammellzee, assume vivid astro focus, Mary Beth Edelson, and Korakrit Arunanondchai, while expanding her private advisory in parallel.
Photo: Matthew Placek
