{"id":1845212,"date":"2026-03-23T21:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T18:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1845212"},"modified":"2026-03-23T21:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T18:01:20","slug":"collector-and-galerie-founder-lisa-fayne-cohen-fawned-over-epstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1845212","title":{"rendered":"Collector and \u2018Galerie\u2019 Founder Lisa Fayne Cohen Fawned Over Epstein"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lisa-fayne-cohen-galerie-jeffrey-epstein.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\tDocuments in the Justice Department\u2019s release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein appear to show ties between the financier and convicted sex offender and a New York art collector and magazine publisher, and her developer-investor husband.<\/p>\n

\n\tLisa Fayne Cohen and her husband, Jimmy Cohen\u2014founder, CEO, and chairman of the real estate and development firm Hudson Capital Properties\u2014were in close contact with Epstein in 2015 and early 2016, long after his crimes were a matter of public knowledge, according to emails released in the so-called Epstein Files, which began to be released in December. There is no indication in the files of any wrongdoing on either\u2019s part.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn one email exchange, Lisa Cohen was laying the groundwork for the launch of Galerie<\/em> magazine. Not long after, Epstein\u2019s Paris apartment appeared anonymously on the cover of the magazine\u2019s second issue, in fall 2016, and in an extensive spread inside.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Cohens began collecting art in 2009 with a work by French modernist Fernand L\u00e9ger, according to a 2023 Artnet News<\/em> profile, which noted that they own an apartment overlooking Central Park in Manhattan, along with homes in East Hampton, Palm Beach, and New Jersey. Artnet<\/em> reported that the couple owns works by modern and contemporary artists including Jennifer Bartlett, Cecily Brown, George Condo, Jean Dubuffet, Mark Grotjahn, Keith Haring, Hans Hofmann, Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, and Joan Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Galerie<\/em>, which was launched in 2016 and is still operating, covers art, luxury, interiors, design, and architecture, with a stated circulation of 125,000. The magazine says its subscribers include art collectors, interior designers, private jet terminals, art galleries and fairs, and five-star hotels and spas.<\/p>\n

\n\tEpstein\u2019s crimes first came to public attention in 2005, when Florida police began investigating him. He was arrested in 2006 after being indicted on a charge of soliciting prostitution, though he was accused of molesting underage girls. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor and served jail time until 2009. One of his accusers, Virginia Giuffre, filed a lawsuit in 2009, claiming Epstein and his onetime girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, arranged for her to have sexual encounters with \u201croyalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen,\u201d and others. She gave an interview to the Daily Mail<\/em> in 2011 in which she said she traveled to London with Epstein at age 17 and spent a night dancing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known as Prince Andrew. Giuffre\u2019s lawyers filed court papers in December 2014.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Cohens would connect with Epstein the following year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\u2018Jimmy Needs a Mentor Like You\u2019\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tIn one of the first relevant emails in the file, NEXT Model Management cofounder Faith Kates wrote to Cohen on November 2, 2015, saying the financier would like a visit that day if possible. (She later retired after her links to Epstein became known, but reportedly attributed the decision to being a \u201c30 year cancer survivor\u201d who wanted to \u201cstep back\u2026 in order to give back.\u201d) \u201cCopying him here (he\u2019s flying now) but email him he has wifi (haha),\u201d wrote Kates. Cohen responded that she was on deadline \u201cwith the arts and design website and magazine I am working on,\u201d but suggested a meeting on November 3.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat day, according to the emails, Cohen went to 9 East 71st Street, Epstein\u2019s mansion from 1995 until his death in 2019. On November 14, Cohen corresponded with Epstein\u2019s assistant Lesley Groff, saying she wanted to speak with Epstein about \u201cpossible interior design ideas and plans for the NY townhouse.\u201d On November 15, she wrote to Groff to say that she had spoken with Epstein: \u201cWe want to photograph a few rooms in Jeffrey\u2019s Paris apartment re: a story on Vintage [Alberto] Pinto design.\u201d The next day, Cohen emailed Groff, \u201cThanks so much for arranging Paris De Pinto shoot with Suzanne for the 9th.\u201d (Suzanne Slesin, publisher and editorial director at New York\u2013based Pointed Leaf Press, had been tapped as the magazine\u2019s editor in chief.)<\/p>\n

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A photo shows the cover of the Fall 2016 issue of Galerie Magazine, showing an apartment sitting room and cover lines including \"Vintage Paris\" and \"a peek inside our fabulous private art house\"<\/div>\n<\/div>
The Fall 2016 issue of Galerie<\/em>.<\/span>ARTnews<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe Galerie<\/em> issue features a heavily beige apartment on the cover, accompanied by the cover line \u201cVintage Paris.\u201d The 16-page spread describes a 7,500-square-foot residence in \u201cone of the grandest 19th-century apartment buildings on Paris\u2019 exclusive Avenue Foch,\u201d renovated that year at a reported cost of about $1.3 million by French photographer and interior designer Alberto Pinto, who reportedly counted Epstein as \u201ca longtime international client.\u201d Pinto\u2019s other clients included \u201croyal families, Middle Eastern potentates, billionaires, and celebrities,\u201d as well as \u201cAgnellis, Rothschilds, Kochs, and Safras,\u201d Galerie<\/em> notes.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs described in the magazine, Pinto commissioned Paris-based artist Florence Derive to create Constructivist-inspired wall paintings and to paint the living room ceiling in crimson, with plaster clouds surrounding an \u201cenormous\u201d 1950s Murano glass chandelier. Other artworks included a wood sculpture by French artist Jacques Berthaux, a charcoal drawing by Korean artist Yoo Hye-Sook, and a steel-and-plastic elephant chair by French artist Bernard Rancillac. The apartment would later sell for $10.5 million to Bulgarian businessman Georgi Tuchev.<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked to comment on their having publicized Epstein\u2019s home and why he was not identified as the owner, the Cohens responded via an emailed statement from their publicist, Ken Frydman, who said, \u201cGalerie <\/em>Magazine did not \u2018publicize (Epstein\u2019s) home.\u2019 The spread featured the work of renowned interior designer Alberto Pinto. Pinto\u2019s sister, Linda Pinto, was the intermediary between her brother\u2019s Paris-based interior design and decoration firm and Galerie<\/em>\u2019s editorial and production teams. The magazine focuses on architecturally-unique homes, spotlighting designers, decorators and art. Not owners. In fact, the majority of owners are not identified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn November 21, 2015, Epstein wrote to Cohen, \u201ccould you ask jimmy to call me today \u2026 hes great.\u201d Cohen replied, \u201cHe thinks u r great too. He really needs a mentor like you. (actually there is no one else like you!) Why don\u2019t u stop over on Thursday down in [Palm Beach], possibly have Thanksgiving dinner or even a drink with us? You can meet all my boys which would be a great help planing [sic] the estate and etc. we have so much to try to figure out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Epstein emailed the next day, saying he was free to speak with Jimmy, Cohen replied with his cell phone number: \u201cKeep this number and the 2 of u will be connected at the hip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOn December 14, Cohen wrote, \u201cI have been thinking about you. I have been speaking to Penny [Drue Baird, the interior designer] and I believe you could possibly make a deal with her to give you full attention (and give up her office on Madison). I want to drop off all three of her past interior design books she wrote so that you can get a better idea of the scope of her work from her Paris days to New York. If you want me also to work with her to really elevate the main rooms in the residences I would do that for you. You have been so kind to Jimmy and really appreciate your friendship and kindness.\u201d The message concludes with a heart emoji. Epstein\u2019s characteristically laconic reply: \u201cim here in new york till wed, have jimmy call me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked to comment on their friendship with Epstein, Frydman said that \u201cThe Cohens were acquainted with Epstein, not friends.\u201d Frydman also said the Cohens never met with Epstein.<\/p>\n

\n\tCohen invited Epstein to her 2015 New Year\u2019s Eve party and helped set up a meeting with Baird in January 2016. (\u201cThey only invited him to their New Year\u2019s Eve party at the request of a mutual friend,\u201d said Frydman.) On January 3, Epstein wrote to Cohen that he would like help finding an estate manager for the house. Cohen\u2019s response suggests the meeting with Baird: \u201cDo u want me to consult with her too and come to the meeting? I can bring all the whimsy that I know you love into the spaces. It\u2019s my way of thanking you for all you do for JC. He needs a mentor like you to bounce his business decisions off of and he really appreciates having you in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tSharing Intimate Memories with Woody Allen\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tThe files also contain text message exchanges between Epstein and Jimmy Cohen. Cohen\u2019s father Robert was the founder of the Hudson News chain, recognizable from over 1,000 stores in \u201cairports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America,\u201d as the company notes on its website. Cohen was supposedly set to buy the National Enquirer <\/em>for $100 million in 2019, but the deal \u201cnever materialized,\u201d the New York Post <\/em>reported in 2020, while noting that he had once engineered a deal for American Media to buy OK! Magazine <\/em>for $22 million and sold American Media his 50 percent stake. Cohen sold his retail Hudson News outlets to a private equity firm but maintained an interest as a shareholder, the Post <\/em>writes.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn November 28, 2015, Epstein proposed that he and Jimmy Cohen meet. \u201cWas out all week at art basel w lisa\u2026what a mob scene\u2026my GC DID however give me a fairly detailed outline of my estate\/will as of this past summer. Should be helpful in getting things going\u2026definitely focused on homestead issue this week,\u201d Cohen writes. \u201cHomestead not right,\u201d replies Epstein. \u201cSend your summary and we can review if you like.\u201d Cohen asks if Epstein has seen The Big Short<\/em>. \u201cNo I have not,\u201d says Epstein, \u201cBut I am intimately familiar with the characters it portrays.\u201d They go on to discuss the New Year\u2019s Eve party, whose theme is the Rat Pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe next month, Jimmy Cohen mentions heading to a polo match in Vero Beach, Florida. \u201cWasps for a day!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDining with our mutual friends Tim and Nina, showing them your beautiful apartment in the current issue of Galerie!\u201d writes Cohen in one text, from October 11, 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn January 1, 2016, Jimmy Cohen texts Epstein some fairly intimate information about his wife, saying that he is \u201cusing my spare phone,\u201d and referring to film director Woody Allen, who apparently attended the NYE bash.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo happy you and your group could make it last night,\u201d he writes. \u201cAnd a special thanks for putting my Alex together with woody. Looks like they had a really nice chat\u2026we did too, as he\u2019s been filming in my backyard (new jersey) for so many years\u2026some fun stories, including the night Lisa got pregnant with our second son after seeing one of his movies at the Paris theater!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lisa-fayne-cohen-galerie-jeffrey-epstein.jpg?w=1024″] Documents in the Justice Department\u2019s release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein appear to show ties between the financier and convicted sex offender and a New York art collector and magazine publisher, and her developer-investor husband. Lisa Fayne Cohen and her husband, Jimmy Cohen\u2014founder, CEO, and chairman of the real estate and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-1845212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845212","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=1845212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1845212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1845212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1845212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}