"Among the most mind-bending revelations of the recent trove of Epstein files is not only who was implicated and to what extent, but the mental gymnastics performed by the so-called tastemakers of our day. Years after his conviction, leading figures in the arts, politics, and business went to incomprehensible lengths to paint Epstein as a misunderstood and even virtuously transgressive character rather than what he really was - a depraved criminal, a serial abuser, and not especially intellectually gifted."
"In an urgent read today, Ed Simon traces the mechanisms that normalized Epstein's immorality to the era of Marquis de Sade, who was similarly absolved by history in a web of entangled power and wealth. In a related story, Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar reports on a recent deposition by billionaire and arts patron Les Wexner, whose payments to Jeffrey Epstein may have facilitated his crimes, lawmakers say."
Recent revelations from Epstein-related files reveal extensive complicity and ideological rationalizations by prominent cultural, political, and business elites. Leading figures portrayed Epstein as misunderstood or virtuously transgressive rather than a serial abuser and criminal. Those portrayals echo historical absolutions of figures such as the Marquis de Sade, linking aristocratic privilege and capitalist structures to the tolerance of abuse. Legal documents and depositions suggest financial relationships, including payments from wealthy patrons like Les Wexner, may have enabled or facilitated criminal activity. Ongoing conversations and member-only events aim to address art-world entanglements and demand greater accountability from elite networks.
Read at Hyperallergic
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