{"id":1781161,"date":"2026-02-20T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1781161"},"modified":"2026-02-20T11:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:00:30","slug":"epstein-in-the-shadow-of-de-sade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1781161","title":{"rendered":"Epstein in the Shadow of de Sade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><main class=\"gh-main\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"gh-article post tag-daily-newsletter tag-newsletter no-image\">\n<header class=\"gh-article-header gh-canvas\">\n<p>                Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"gh-article-title is-title\">Epstein in the Shadow of de Sade<\/h1>\n<p class=\"gh-article-excerpt is-body\">Ed Simon on how the intellectual elite absolves abusers of their crimes, Marigold Santos&#8217;s loving epiphytes, and Damien Davis in conversation with Hakim Bishara. <\/p>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta\">\n<div class=\"gh-article-author-image instapaper_ignore\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-profile-image\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w160\/2025\/11\/hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500.png\" alt=\"Hyperallergic\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-wrapper\">\n<h4 class=\"gh-article-author-name\">Hyperallergic<\/h4>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-content\"><time class=\"gh-article-meta-date\" datetime=\"2026-02-20\">February 20, 2026<\/time><span class=\"gh-article-meta-length\"><span class=\"bull\">\u2014<\/span> 4 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>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 \u2014\u00a0a depraved criminal, a serial abuser, and not especially intellectually gifted. <\/p>\n<p>In an urgent read today, Ed Simon traces the mechanisms that normalized Epstein&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>For a breath of fresher air, and a much-needed escape from the art world&#8217;s rot, join us on March 2 for an online conversation between artist and contributor Damien Davis and Hyperallergic Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara. The event is for Hyperallergic members only; subscribe today to join.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-89-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Jeffrey Epstein had a lot in common with the Marquis de Sade. (edit Shari Flores\/<\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>) <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"the-marquis-de-sade-of-the-upper-east-side\">The Marquis de Sade of the Upper East Side<\/h3>\n<p>As Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring the scale of which is just beginning to be understood, he ingratiated himself with \u201cintellectuals\u201d and other elites who were all too happy to legitimize his deviance and crimes as a kind of virtuous hedonism \u2014 not unlike the Marquis de Sade, argues Ed Simon. \u201cIn the originator of Sadism, we encounter an infernal figure who, beyond even the facts of his own perversion and criminality, intimated<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0cruel and oppressive politics that were seeded in aristocracy, tended in capitalism, and are now harvested in fascism,\u201d Simon writes.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-90-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein (left), Les Wexner (center), and a redacted woman accompanied Wexner\u2019s note in Epstein\u2019s 50th birthday book from 2003. (via House Oversight Committee)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"les-wexner-claims-naivety-in-epstein-deposition\">Les Wexner Claims Naivety in Epstein Deposition <\/h3>\n<p>The billionaire retail tycoon continues to deny any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex crimes, but not everyone is buying it. | Rhea Nayyar<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PrintFair-209-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Returns to Powerhouse Arts This Spring<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Over 50 exhibitors, hands-on programming, and a juried print exhibition make up the fair\u2019s expanded second edition. April 9\u201312, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"events\">Events<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-92-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Photo of Damien Davis by Ricky Day for Ricky Day Studio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"keeping-a-critical-eye-on-the-art-world-with-damien-davis\">Keeping a Critical Eye on the Art World With Damien Davis<\/h3>\n<p>Damien Davis, whose incisive writing for <em>Hyperallergic<\/em> probes longstanding power imbalances in the art world, joins Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara for an online conversation on March 2. Become a member today to join.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-our-critics\">From Our Critics<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PBG-Marigold-Santos-024-1.jpeg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"Marigold Santos Takes Root\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>Installation view of Marigold Santos, \u201cNacre\u201d (2025) (photo courtesy Patel Brown gallery)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"marigold-santos-takes-root\">Marigold Santos Takes Root<\/h3>\n<p>She uses epiphytes \u2014 plants that grow on other plants without harming them \u2014 as a framework for the expansive ways diasporas form. | Neil Price<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/JPEG-image.jpeg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Vilcek Foundation Awards Five Immigrants $250,000 for Fashion Documentation<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Tanya Mel\u00e9ndez-Escalante, Diego Bendezu, Jalan and Jibril Durimel, and Natalie Nudell received the 2026 Vilcek Prizes in Fashion &amp; Culture for their contributions to fashion representation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"community\">Community<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/lunar-new-year-filip-wolak-photo-met-1-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span> Lunar New Year celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (photo by Filip Wolak, courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"required-reading\">Required Reading<\/h3>\n<p>This week: movie poster art, the typist behind Henry James\u2019s novels, Gis\u00e8le Pelicot\u2019s new memoir, indie rock in \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d and are we in an arts and crafts renaissance? <\/p>\n<h3 id=\"a-view-from-the-easel\">A View From the Easel<\/h3>\n<p>James Horner explores the visual language of binding at his studio in the Bronx, New York, while Ingrid Hern\u00e1ndez practices photography at hers in Tijuana, M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"art-movements-marilyn-minter-wins-again\">Art Movements: Marilyn Minter Wins Again<\/h3>\n<p>The feminist artist received an international award from Anderson Ranch. Plus, new top staff at university museums, the V&amp;A goes to the zoo, and other industry news.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Victoria Hamlin on Valentina Di Liscia\u2019s \u201cUniversity of North Texas Students Withdraw Thesis Shows, Citing Censorship\u201d:<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">Having just written an article about Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez for the Mexico Solidarity Project, I was happy to add an update about this show of support for this talented, brave artist by these students at University of North Texas (UNT). Thank you to the students, to Hyperallergic and most of all to Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2220792291.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>A viewer captures a photo of Felix Gonzalez-Torres\u2019s \u201cUntitled (Perfect Lovers)\u201d (1987-1990). (photo by Harold Cunningham\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"when-artists-are-too-old-to-be-%E2%80%9Cemerging%E2%80%9D\">When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>If the art world is serious about equity, it has to stop equating emergence with youth and start building structures that reflect the multiplicity of artistic timelines. | Damien Davis<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<article class=\"gh-article post tag-daily-newsletter tag-newsletter no-image\">\n<header class=\"gh-article-header gh-canvas\">\n<p>                Daily Newsletter<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"gh-article-title is-title\">Epstein in the Shadow of de Sade<\/h1>\n<p class=\"gh-article-excerpt is-body\">Ed Simon on how the intellectual elite absolves abusers of their crimes, Marigold Santos&#8217;s loving epiphytes, and Damien Davis in conversation with Hakim Bishara. <\/p>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta\">\n<div class=\"gh-article-author-image instapaper_ignore\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-profile-image\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w160\/2025\/11\/hyperallergic-favicon-d-blank-r-g-s-500.png\" alt=\"Hyperallergic\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-wrapper\">\n<h4 class=\"gh-article-author-name\">Hyperallergic<\/h4>\n<div class=\"gh-article-meta-content\"><time class=\"gh-article-meta-date\" datetime=\"2026-02-20\">February 20, 2026<\/time><span class=\"gh-article-meta-length\"><span class=\"bull\">\u2014<\/span> 4 min read<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>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 \u2014\u00a0a depraved criminal, a serial abuser, and not especially intellectually gifted. <\/p>\n<p>In an urgent read today, Ed Simon traces the mechanisms that normalized Epstein&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>For a breath of fresher air, and a much-needed escape from the art world&#8217;s rot, join us on March 2 for an online conversation between artist and contributor Damien Davis and Hyperallergic Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara. The event is for Hyperallergic members only; subscribe today to join.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-89-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Jeffrey Epstein had a lot in common with the Marquis de Sade. (edit Shari Flores\/<\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>) <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"the-marquis-de-sade-of-the-upper-east-side\">The Marquis de Sade of the Upper East Side<\/h3>\n<p>As Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring the scale of which is just beginning to be understood, he ingratiated himself with \u201cintellectuals\u201d and other elites who were all too happy to legitimize his deviance and crimes as a kind of virtuous hedonism \u2014 not unlike the Marquis de Sade, argues Ed Simon. \u201cIn the originator of Sadism, we encounter an infernal figure who, beyond even the facts of his own perversion and criminality, intimated<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0cruel and oppressive politics that were seeded in aristocracy, tended in capitalism, and are now harvested in fascism,\u201d Simon writes.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-90-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein (left), Les Wexner (center), and a redacted woman accompanied Wexner\u2019s note in Epstein\u2019s 50th birthday book from 2003. (via House Oversight Committee)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"les-wexner-claims-naivety-in-epstein-deposition\">Les Wexner Claims Naivety in Epstein Deposition <\/h3>\n<p>The billionaire retail tycoon continues to deny any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex crimes, but not everyone is buying it. | Rhea Nayyar<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PrintFair-209-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Returns to Powerhouse Arts This Spring<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Over 50 exhibitors, hands-on programming, and a juried print exhibition make up the fair\u2019s expanded second edition. April 9\u201312, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"events\">Events<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-92-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Photo of Damien Davis by Ricky Day for Ricky Day Studio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"keeping-a-critical-eye-on-the-art-world-with-damien-davis\">Keeping a Critical Eye on the Art World With Damien Davis<\/h3>\n<p>Damien Davis, whose incisive writing for <em>Hyperallergic<\/em> probes longstanding power imbalances in the art world, joins Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara for an online conversation on March 2. Become a member today to join.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-our-critics\">From Our Critics<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PBG-Marigold-Santos-024-1.jpeg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"Marigold Santos Takes Root\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>Installation view of Marigold Santos, \u201cNacre\u201d (2025) (photo courtesy Patel Brown gallery)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"marigold-santos-takes-root\">Marigold Santos Takes Root<\/h3>\n<p>She uses epiphytes \u2014 plants that grow on other plants without harming them \u2014 as a framework for the expansive ways diasporas form. | Neil Price<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/JPEG-image.jpeg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Vilcek Foundation Awards Five Immigrants $250,000 for Fashion Documentation<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Tanya Mel\u00e9ndez-Escalante, Diego Bendezu, Jalan and Jibril Durimel, and Natalie Nudell received the 2026 Vilcek Prizes in Fashion &amp; Culture for their contributions to fashion representation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"community\">Community<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/lunar-new-year-filip-wolak-photo-met-1-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span> Lunar New Year celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (photo by Filip Wolak, courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"required-reading\">Required Reading<\/h3>\n<p>This week: movie poster art, the typist behind Henry James\u2019s novels, Gis\u00e8le Pelicot\u2019s new memoir, indie rock in \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d and are we in an arts and crafts renaissance? <\/p>\n<h3 id=\"a-view-from-the-easel\">A View From the Easel<\/h3>\n<p>James Horner explores the visual language of binding at his studio in the Bronx, New York, while Ingrid Hern\u00e1ndez practices photography at hers in Tijuana, M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"art-movements-marilyn-minter-wins-again\">Art Movements: Marilyn Minter Wins Again<\/h3>\n<p>The feminist artist received an international award from Anderson Ranch. Plus, new top staff at university museums, the V&amp;A goes to the zoo, and other industry news.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Victoria Hamlin on Valentina Di Liscia\u2019s \u201cUniversity of North Texas Students Withdraw Thesis Shows, Citing Censorship\u201d:<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">Having just written an article about Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez for the Mexico Solidarity Project, I was happy to add an update about this show of support for this talented, brave artist by these students at University of North Texas (UNT). Thank you to the students, to Hyperallergic and most of all to Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2220792291.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>A viewer captures a photo of Felix Gonzalez-Torres\u2019s \u201cUntitled (Perfect Lovers)\u201d (1987-1990). (photo by Harold Cunningham\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"when-artists-are-too-old-to-be-%E2%80%9Cemerging%E2%80%9D\">When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>If the art world is serious about equity, it has to stop equating emergence with youth and start building structures that reflect the multiplicity of artistic timelines. | Damien Davis<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"gh-content gh-canvas is-body\">\n<p>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 \u2014\u00a0a depraved criminal, a serial abuser, and not especially intellectually gifted. <\/p>\n<p>In an urgent read today, Ed Simon traces the mechanisms that normalized Epstein&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>For a breath of fresher air, and a much-needed escape from the art world&#8217;s rot, join us on March 2 for an online conversation between artist and contributor Damien Davis and Hyperallergic Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara. The event is for Hyperallergic members only; subscribe today to join.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-89-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Jeffrey Epstein had a lot in common with the Marquis de Sade. (edit Shari Flores\/<\/span><i><em class=\"italic\">Hyperallergic<\/em><\/i><span>) <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"the-marquis-de-sade-of-the-upper-east-side\">The Marquis de Sade of the Upper East Side<\/h3>\n<p>As Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring the scale of which is just beginning to be understood, he ingratiated himself with \u201cintellectuals\u201d and other elites who were all too happy to legitimize his deviance and crimes as a kind of virtuous hedonism \u2014 not unlike the Marquis de Sade, argues Ed Simon. \u201cIn the originator of Sadism, we encounter an infernal figure who, beyond even the facts of his own perversion and criminality, intimated<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>a\u00a0cruel and oppressive politics that were seeded in aristocracy, tended in capitalism, and are now harvested in fascism,\u201d Simon writes.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-90-1-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>An undated photo of Jeffrey Epstein (left), Les Wexner (center), and a redacted woman accompanied Wexner\u2019s note in Epstein\u2019s 50th birthday book from 2003. (via House Oversight Committee)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"les-wexner-claims-naivety-in-epstein-deposition\">Les Wexner Claims Naivety in Epstein Deposition <\/h3>\n<p>The billionaire retail tycoon continues to deny any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s sex crimes, but not everyone is buying it. | Rhea Nayyar<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PrintFair-209-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Returns to Powerhouse Arts This Spring<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Over 50 exhibitors, hands-on programming, and a juried print exhibition make up the fair\u2019s expanded second edition. April 9\u201312, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"events\">Events<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/image-92-1.png\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span>Photo of Damien Davis by Ricky Day for Ricky Day Studio<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"keeping-a-critical-eye-on-the-art-world-with-damien-davis\">Keeping a Critical Eye on the Art World With Damien Davis<\/h3>\n<p>Damien Davis, whose incisive writing for <em>Hyperallergic<\/em> probes longstanding power imbalances in the art world, joins Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara for an online conversation on March 2. Become a member today to join.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-our-critics\">From Our Critics<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/PBG-Marigold-Santos-024-1.jpeg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"Marigold Santos Takes Root\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>Installation view of Marigold Santos, \u201cNacre\u201d (2025) (photo courtesy Patel Brown gallery)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"marigold-santos-takes-root\">Marigold Santos Takes Root<\/h3>\n<p>She uses epiphytes \u2014 plants that grow on other plants without harming them \u2014 as a framework for the expansive ways diasporas form. | Neil Price<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-cta-card kg-cta-bg-white kg-cta-immersive  kg-cta-has-img  \" data-layout=\"immersive\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-sponsor-label\"><span>SPONSORED<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/JPEG-image.jpeg\" alt=\"CTA Image\" data-image-dimensions=\"1200x675\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"kg-cta-content-inner\">\n<div class=\"kg-cta-text\">\n<p><b><strong>Vilcek Foundation Awards Five Immigrants $250,000 for Fashion Documentation<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>Tanya Mel\u00e9ndez-Escalante, Diego Bendezu, Jalan and Jibril Durimel, and Natalie Nudell received the 2026 Vilcek Prizes in Fashion &amp; Culture for their contributions to fashion representation.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                            Learn more<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"community\">Community<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/lunar-new-year-filip-wolak-photo-met-1-1.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\"><figcaption><span> Lunar New Year celebration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (photo by Filip Wolak, courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"required-reading\">Required Reading<\/h3>\n<p>This week: movie poster art, the typist behind Henry James\u2019s novels, Gis\u00e8le Pelicot\u2019s new memoir, indie rock in \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d and are we in an arts and crafts renaissance? <\/p>\n<h3 id=\"a-view-from-the-easel\">A View From the Easel<\/h3>\n<p>James Horner explores the visual language of binding at his studio in the Bronx, New York, while Ingrid Hern\u00e1ndez practices photography at hers in Tijuana, M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"art-movements-marilyn-minter-wins-again\">Art Movements: Marilyn Minter Wins Again<\/h3>\n<p>The feminist artist received an international award from Anderson Ranch. Plus, new top staff at university museums, the V&amp;A goes to the zoo, and other industry news.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"member-comment\">Member Comment<\/h2>\n<p>Victoria Hamlin on Valentina Di Liscia\u2019s \u201cUniversity of North Texas Students Withdraw Thesis Shows, Citing Censorship\u201d:<\/p>\n<div class=\"kg-card kg-callout-card kg-callout-card-yellow\">\n<div class=\"kg-callout-text\">Having just written an article about Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez for the Mexico Solidarity Project, I was happy to add an update about this show of support for this talented, brave artist by these students at University of North Texas (UNT). Thank you to the students, to Hyperallergic and most of all to Victor \u201cMarka27\u201d Qui\u00f1\u00f3nez.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2 id=\"from-the-archive\">From the Archive<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/2026\/02\/gettyimages-2220792291.jpg\" class=\"kg-image\" alt=\"When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"><figcaption><span>A viewer captures a photo of Felix Gonzalez-Torres\u2019s \u201cUntitled (Perfect Lovers)\u201d (1987-1990). (photo by Harold Cunningham\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"when-artists-are-too-old-to-be-%E2%80%9Cemerging%E2%80%9D\">When Artists Are Too Old to Be \u201cEmerging\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>If the art world is serious about equity, it has to stop equating emergence with youth and start building structures that reflect the multiplicity of artistic timelines. | Damien Davis<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-tags\">\n<li>\n                        Daily Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<li>\n                        Newsletter\n                      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/02\/PrintFair-209-2.jpg\" alt=\"Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Returns to Powerhouse Arts This Spring\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair Returns to Powerhouse Arts This Spring<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Over 50 exhibitors, hands-on programming, and a juried print exhibition make up the fair\u2019s expanded second edition. April 9\u201312, 2026.\n<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">Powerhouse Arts<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/02\/Hyperallergic-announcment-post-01.jpg\" alt=\"The Museum at FIT Presents \u201cArt X Fashion\u201d\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">The Museum at FIT Presents \u201cArt X Fashion\u201d<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">This exhibition explores the entangled and shifting relationship between fine art and fashion, tracing parallel aesthetics from 18th-century Rococo to postmodernism.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">The Museum at FIT<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/02\/RieserHeintjes_Elements-38-Strontium-1.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Pratt SCPS: Where Practice Meets the Spotlight\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Inside Pratt SCPS: Where Practice Meets the Spotlight<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">Discover what happens when working creatives, career pivoters, and lifelong makers plug into art and design education at Pratt\u2019s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">Pratt Institute SCPS<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<article class=\"gh-card post\">\n<figure class=\"gh-card-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/content\/images\/size\/w600\/2026\/02\/KAPOW-Naoto_Nakagawa_2026_Still_Life_With_Wine_Opener_Lemon_and_Pomegranate.jpg\" alt=\"Naoto Nakagawa 2026 Is on View at KAPOW\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"gh-card-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"gh-card-title is-title\">Naoto Nakagawa 2026 Is on View at KAPOW<\/h3>\n<p class=\"gh-card-excerpt is-body\">The Lower East Side gallery presents new works by an artist who has shown in major US museums since the 1960s. The exhibition is open through February 22.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"gh-card-meta\"><span class=\"gh-card-author\">KAPOW<\/span><\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/hyperallergic.com\/epstein-in-the-shadow-of-de-sade\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;&#8221;] Daily Newsletter Epstein in the Shadow of de Sade Ed Simon on how the intellectual elite absolves abusers of their crimes, Marigold Santos&#8217;s loving epiphytes, and Damien Davis in conversation with Hakim Bishara. Hyperallergic February 20, 2026\u2014 4 min read Among the most mind-bending revelations of the recent trove of Epstein files [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,69],"class_list":["post-1781161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-hyperallergic-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1781161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1781161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1781161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1781161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}