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CASE FILEREF: DAVID-A-ROSS
SUBJECTTIMELINEEVIDENCEMEDIA
Terminated / Resigned

David A. Ross

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WIKIPEDIA ENTRY

David A. Ross is an art museum curator. His relationship with Epstein has been traced back as far as 1990s, when Ross was a director at the Whitney Museum of Art. When Epstein was released from jail in 2009, Ross sent him an email celebrating his release from an "undeserved punishment foisted upon you by jealous creeps". A few months later, Epstein offered to fund an exhibition titled Statutory, which he described as "girls and boys ages 14 - 25.. where they look nothing like their true ages. Juvenile mug shots., photo shop, make up. some people go to prison because they can't tell true age. controversial . fun". Ross responded: "You are incredible!" In 2015, Ross emailed Epstein saying he was "still proud" to call him a friend despite the ongoing revelations. After the release of the files, Ross stated that befriending wealthy patrons like Epstein was part of his job. Ross left his chair at the School of Visual Arts.

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

David A. Ross resigned from his position as chair of the MFA Art Practice program at New York's School of Visual Arts following the release of Epstein files in January 2026. The resignation was effective immediately. News articles corroborate all major claims in the Wikipedia entry: his relationship with Epstein dating to the mid-1990s at the Whitney Museum, his celebratory email upon Epstein's 2009 release, his enthusiastic response to the 'Statutory' exhibition proposal, his 2015 email expressing continued friendship, and his explanation that befriending wealthy patrons was part of his curatorial work. No legal charges, convictions, or lawsuits against Ross are documented in the search results.

Determination Timeline

TERMINATED / RESIGNEDFeb 3, 2026

Document References (0)

NO DOCUMENT EVIDENCE ON FILE.

Media Coverage (5)

David A. Ross Resigns From School of Visual Arts After Epstein Revelations

HYPERALLERGIC·Feb 13, 2026

David A. Ross, chair of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) MFA Art Practice Department for 17 years, has resigned from his post following the Department of Justice…

Epstein's idea for 'Statutory' exhibit brings down an art world leader

LOS ANGELES TIMES·Feb 13, 2026

In one letter, dated Oct. 1, 2009, Epstein wrote to Ross that Roman Polanski's attorney was coming to see him and that he was considering funding an exhibit tit…

David A. Ross resigns from New York's School of Visual Arts over friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

THE ART NEWSPAPER·Feb 10, 2026

David A. Ross, the chair of the Master of Fine Arts in art practice department at New York's School of Visual Arts (SVA), resigned from his role last week after…

David A. Ross resigns from School of Visual Arts after ties to Jeffrey Epstein surface

NEWS4JAX·Feb 4, 2026

Art museum curator and director David A. Ross has left his post at the School of Visual Arts in New York after the latest release of documents about Jeffrey Eps…

New York School of Visual Arts chair resigns due to Epstein ties

ARTREVIEW·Feb 4, 2026

Writer and curator David Ross has resigned from his role as chair of the MFA Art Practice program at New York's School of Visual Arts (SVA) after it was reveale…

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