Leon Botstein, president of Bard College since 1975, announced his retirement on Friday following the release of an independent report by the law firm WilmerHale, commissioned by Bard's board of trustees. The report found that Botstein had not been "fully accurate" in his public accounts of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing visits to Epstein's private island, personal messages, a joint watch purchase worth $56,000, and invitations to campus. While no illegal conduct was identified, the report raised serious concerns about Botstein's leadership and judgment. Botstein will step down on June 30 but remain at Bard as a professor.
Botstein's resignation is a consequential moment for the art world because Bard College is home to the Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS), one of the most prominent graduate programs in curatorial practice in the U.S., and the affiliated CCS Hessel Museum of Art. His five-decade tenure had made the school a fixture in art-world institutional life. The Epstein revelations, including documents showing Botstein's name appearing more than 2,800 times in Epstein-related files, have pressured the board to act, and the search for a successor will shape the future of a key institution in art education and curatorial training.