David A. Ross, a well-known art museum curator and academic leader, has resigned from his role at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York following the emergence of emails that reveal a personal connection with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Ross, who served as chair of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in art practice, tendered his resignation on a Tuesday, according to a statement issued by SVA. The institution acknowledged that it had been made aware of correspondence between Ross and Epstein. By the following day, Ross’s faculty webpage had been removed from the school’s online platform. Initial reporting of the resignation was published by ARTnews.
The email exchanges, dating back to 2009, show Ross engaging in casual and supportive communications with Epstein. In these messages, Ross referred to Epstein as "incredible" and expressed pride in considering him a friend. One notable email from Epstein proposed the concept for an art exhibition titled "Statutory," which would involve "girls and boys ages 14-25" depicted in ways that conceal their actual ages. Ross responded warmly, calling Epstein "incredible" and drawing a controversial comparison to the child actress Brooke Shields, who appeared nude at age 10.
Further emails illustrate Ross offering consolation to Epstein following a deposition. Ross wrote, "Damn, this was not what you needed or deserved," then acknowledged Epstein's resilience while admitting that he, as a friend, was troubled by the situation.
In an email message sent to ARTnews after his resignation, Ross stated that he first encountered Epstein in the mid-1990s when he was the director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Ross explained that cultivating relationships with potential museum patrons was part of his professional responsibility.
Requests for comment from the Whitney Museum remained unanswered at the time of reporting. Epstein pled guilty in 2008 to charges in Florida related to soliciting prostitution, including solicitation from a minor. Ross admitted that he initially believed Epstein's claim that the charges amounted to a "political frame-up." When Epstein became the subject of renewed investigation in 2019, Ross reached out to offer support, a decision he has since described as a "terrible mistake of judgment." He expressed remorse, stating, "When the reality of his crimes became clear, I was mortified and remain ashamed that I fell for his lies."
Attempts to contact Ross for further comment by The Associated Press were unsuccessful.
Ross's career includes leadership roles at several prominent art institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Berkeley Art Museum, and the Long Beach Museum of Art.
The disclosed emails are part of a broader release of over 3 million pages of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice. These files have illuminated the networks of several notable individuals connected to Epstein.