Former Whitney Chief Resigns From Art School After Epstein Email Release

Source: NYT

David A. Ross, a longtime luminary in the contemporary art world and leader of some of the top museums in the United States, resigned this week from his position as department chair at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan after emails he sent to Jeffrey Epstein were made public, revealing a friendship that spanned decades.

About 60 emails between the two men were revealed by the Justice Department in January as part of the ongoing release of millions of documents related to Mr. Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in August 2019 awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Among the emails was a 2009 missive in which Mr. Ross responded supportively when Mr. Epstein told him he was contemplating funding an art exhibition, tentatively titled “Statutory,” that would showcase underage models dressed to look older than they were.

“You are incredible,” Mr. Ross said in replying to the idea.

Mr. Ross, who was the director of prominent art museums in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, sent a statement to The New York Times on Tuesday expressing his profound regret for having been “taken in” by Mr. Epstein’s story. He has not been accused of criminal misconduct in relation to Mr. Epstein.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/nyregion/epstein-emails-david-ross-school-visual-arts.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JlA.Tmz1.9IaNL7B0V8Ra&smid=url-share

Among the emails was a 2009 missive in which Mr. Ross responded supportively when Mr. Epstein told him he was contemplating funding an art exhibition, tentatively titled “Statutory,” that would showcase underage models dressed to look older than they were.

— Jennie Coughlin (@jenniecoughlin.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T20:04:56.413Z