The Tamesis
David A. Ross, the author and curator who leads museums nationwide, resigned on Tuesday as chair of the MFA Art Practice program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, a position he had held since 2009. art news revealed that he appeared multiple times in newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department released the documents in January as part of an ongoing effort to release information related to a deceased sex offender who committed suicide in prison in 2019. The letters reveal an apparent close friendship, including one message that appears to have led to financial support for an online magazine Ross was working with.
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“The School of Visual Arts is aware of communications between MFA Art Practice Chair David A. Ross and Jeffrey Epstein that were released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein dossier,” the school said in an emailed statement. “The College has accepted Mr. Ross’s resignation, effective immediately.”
Ross didn’t respond art newsRequest for comment.
Epstein showed great interest in the art world. His relationship with Roth appears to date back to 1995, when Roth was director of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Pilot David Rodgers signed a logbook that included his name on the July 13 flight from Teterboro Airport to Santa Fe New Mexico Regional Airport.
In a 2009 email, Epstein discussed an exhibition he wanted to support. “Roman Polanski’s [attorneys] They came to see me,” he wrote. “I might want to fund an exhibition called Statutory. Girls and boys aged 14 to 25 who look nothing like their real age. Teen photos, photo studio, makeup. Some people were imprisoned because they couldn’t tell their true age. Controversial. pleasure. Maybe it should be a web page with clicks counted. “
“You’re incredible,” Ross replied. “This will be a very powerful [sic] and weird books. You know that totally pornographic commercial child photo of Brooke Shields that Richard Prince appropriated for an exhibition in the early 1980s? photo of prince Spiritual America (1983) appropriated a nude photo of a 10-year-old Shields taken by commercial photographer Gary Gross in 1976. “Yes,” Epstein replied, “they shut it down during the London show.”
Also in 2009, Ross wrote under the caption “I’m so sorry,” “I’m in London and just saw that stupid miscarriage deposition video on the Huffington Post. Damn, it’s not what you needed or deserved. That lawyer was a complete asshole and I thought you handled it with dignity. Sorry to see this…but I know how tough you are, and in fact, as your friend, it probably bothered me more than it did you.”
Another in 2009 said, “Attended the great Cézanne show in Philadelphia with Brice Madden,” and mentioned preparing for “advanced seminars to prepare these young artists for the real world that awaits them. What a fucking irony you can get!”
“So glad the nightmare is over, Jeffrey,” Ross wrote in another message in 2009. “This is an undeserved punishment imposed on you by jealous men.”
Also from 2009: “It was so interesting to hear from you today. I had a dream last night and you were in it.”
In another message from that year, flying and visiting were discussed under the topic “Where are you?” “Do you want to come here today and leave tomorrow night?” Epstein asked. “Of course,” Ross replied. “I’ll call you at eight o’clock to discuss it.”
In a September 2009 message, Ross appeared to suggest that Epstein could support FLYP, an “online magazine” (at the time at Flypmedia.com) where he was a contributing editor. In July of this year, he said, “I’m enjoying this new identity, but if I can’t find a way to help turn this into a real business, it may be short-lived.”
“We will continue to work hard to find a future for FLYP,” Ross wrote. “We need to make sure we have enough time to find the right partner, and really just a relatively small amount of funding, and if found it will be backed by several large potential investors very quickly.”
A 2010 email suggested Epstein listen colbert report Look at what Ross looks like.
In 2015, Ross wrote under the subject “Grief,” “I’m devastated to see you dragged through the mud again. I’m still proud to call you a friend.”
Ross led museums nationwide for decades, serving as director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1998-2001, when he unexpectedly resigned), the Whitney Museum (1991-98), and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Boston (1982-91). He also served as associate director and chief curator of the Berkeley Art Museum (1977-81); associate director and curator of video art at the Long Beach Museum of Art (1974-77), and curator of video art at the Everson Museum of Art (1971-74). He has curated projects at institutions around the world, including the Castello di Rivoli in Italy, the Art Sonje Center in Seoul, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The documents are part of about 3 million pages of additional data released on January 30. In making the announcement, the Justice Department cited the Epstein Documents Transparency Act of November 19, 2025, which requires all documents to be released by December 19. Victims advocates claim there may be millions more documents that remain secret.
Updated, February 3, 2026 at 4:45 pm: This article has been updated to reflect Ross’s resignation.
