Jeff Koons, a renowned contemporary artist set to speak at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University this year, is named in newly released U.S. Department of Justice files in connection with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Koons appears to have met with Epstein on two occasions.
There is no indication in the emails that Koons engaged in illegal activities with Epstein.
Koons is a renowned yet controversial artist known for his large-scale art installations. He is one of the world’s most expensive living artists, with his sculpture “Rabbit” selling for $91.1 million in 2019 and “Balloon Dog (Orange)” for $58.4 million in 2013.
The earliest mention of Koons dates back to August 2013 — five years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for solicitation of prostitution with a minor. Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Neil Gershenfeld asked Epstein if he could invite Koons, among others, to a dinner party at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion. Gershenfeld had collaborated with Koons years earlier on his “Liberty Bell” sculpture.
Koons accepted Gershenfeld’s invitation, later attending Epstein’s dinner party on Sept. 4, 2013 — one that included an intimate guestlist, with names such as director Woody Allen and magician David Blaine.
“Neil, Thank you for your invitation. My wife Justine and I would love to have dinner with you on the evening of Sept. 4th. Please have us receive all necessary information on the dinner. Looking forward to see you then. Best regards, Jeff,” Koons said in an email to Gershenfeld.
“Upon the invitation of a professor at MIT, Neil Gershenfeld, my wife Justine and I attended a dinner at Jeffrey Epstein’s house,” Koons said in a statement to Hyperallergic, an online arts magazine. “Beyond attending the dinner, I did not have a relationship with Epstein.”
In later correspondence, Epstein appears to have scheduled a visit to Koons’ New York art studio on Nov. 8, 2013. The studio visit is listed on Epstein’s schedule several times in the documents, in addition to emails regarding availability and transportation logistics.
According to reports from Hyperallergic, Koons had no knowledge of Epstein visiting his art studio.
On Nov. 4, 2017, Epstein referred to Koons as “a friend” after receiving an email from a redacted sender detailing the sender’s “first orgasm after … almost two years [of] no signs of libido” after watching a documentary about Koons.
Koons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Koons has been on the board of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children since 2002 and cofounded the Koons Family International Law and Policy Institute in 2007, which advocates for child protection legislation across the world.
New Orleans Book Festival is a free and public four-day event that brings hundreds of authors to Tulane’s Uptown campus for lectures, workshops and book signings every year. There will be over 250 speakers and over 100 panels at this year’s festival.
Koons is set to speak on Saturday, March 14, on a panel titled “Shaping Cities Through Art,” which will be a conversation with Kate Levin about how art can spark community dialogue and transform spaces.
Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker declined to comment.