Activists have launched a petition to remove the New York Academy of Art’s board chairman after she allegedly made a student sell her rape-inspired painting to Jeffrey Epstein for half the price, a year before the young woman would go on to become a victim of the pedophile, DailyMail.com can disclose.
Maria Farmer claimed she was brought into the dead financier’s orbit in 1995 when Eileen Guggenheim introduced her to him at her thesis show. At the time, Guggenheim was the school’s dean of students.
Farmer, now in her 50s, claimed Guggenheim urged her to sell Epstein her painting of a shirtless man gazing at a young woman – which was a homage to Edgar Degas’ famous painting known as The Rape – for $6,000. Farmer claims she had already sold the work to a German buyer for $12,000.
In the following months, Farmer claimed Guggenheim brought her to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch. She was later hired by Epstein as an art consultant before she claims she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996.
Kirby Sommers, who is spearheading the petition against Guggenheim, told DailyMail.com: ‘If the system has failed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell – then we have to try to get justice from other people in his circle who were part of the machine that fed Epstein. Eileen Guggenheim is one of those people.’
The petition came as Farmer revealed her battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma with her friend and fellow Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre setting up a GoFundMe for her, DailyMail.com can also reveal.
Activists have launched a petition to remove the New York Academy of Art’s board chairman Eileen Guggenheim (pictured) after she allegedly made a student sell her rape-inspired painting to Jeffrey Epstein for half the price, a year before the young woman would go on to become a victim of the pedophile, DailyMail.com can disclose
Maria Farmer (left and right) claimed she was brought into the dead financier’s orbit in 1995 when Eileen Guggenheim introduced her to him at her thesis show. At the time, Guggenheim was the prestigious school’s dean of students
Farmer, now 50, claimed Guggenheim urged her to sell Epstein her painting of a shirtless man gazing at a young woman – which was a homage to Edgar Degas’ famous painting known as The Rape – for just $6,000, despite that Farmer had already sold the work to a German buyer for $12,000. Pictured: The painting by Farmer that she says Epstein bought from her thesis show at the New York Academy of Art
Sommers added: ‘We want her to be removed from the Board of New York Academy of Art. The President of the school should offer Maria a public apology and honor this request.’
As of Wednesday evening, a few hours after the petition went live, it had garnered nearly 200 signatures. #MeToo advocate and actress Rosanna Arquette was among the names, tweeting that she had signed it, as well prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Guggenheim and the New York Academy of Art for comment.
Sommers is a sexual assault survivor and advocate, and has written books about Epstein and her own sex slave experience.
She said she was compelled to act because ‘what I do every day is listen to survivors and help spread awareness.’
Sommers said she believes Farmer was ‘betrayed’ by both Guggenheim and the New York Academy of Art.
On Tuesday night, a GoFundMe was set up to raise funds for Farmer, who is battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma following a brain tumor removal in 2019.
The page states support ‘will go toward easing the financial strain of this process- covering medical costs and medications that are not covered by her insurance, as well as additional expenses such as buying wigs, healthy food and supplements, and transportation to appointments.’
As of Wednesday evening, a few hours after the petition went live, it had garnered more than 100 signatures. #MeToo advocate and actress Rosanna Arquette was among the names, tweeting that she had signed it
Farmer has claimed she was violently sexually assaulted in the summer of 1996 by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Victoria’s Secret chief Les Wexner Ohio home, after working for Epstein as his art consultant
She claims that after graduating, Guggenheim brought her to visit Epstein at his Zorro ranch (pictured) in New Mexico, allegedly telling her to ‘act grateful and tell him how wonderful he is’
The petition against Guggenheim is addressed to the school’s president David Kratz and provost Peter Drake, reading in part: ‘Maria Farmer has suffered tremendously because of your school’s lack of proper screening and supervision.
‘Ms. Guggenheim has endangered your students and needs to be removed from [the] Board… not just because of the atrocious manner in which she disregarded the health, well-being and personal safety of Maria Farmer, but also because of the huge liability she poses to [the] school.’
It adds: ‘The New York Academy of Art has a fiduciary responsibility to all students, past, present, future to keep them safe while in your care.’
Farmer, who was 25 when she met Epstein, told Art Net News in August that Guggenheim persuaded her to sell her painting to Epstein by allegedly telling her: ”You will be selling to them (Epstein and Maxwell). They are great benefactors of the academy and you are going to make them happy. Do you understand?”’
Farmer added: ‘I was a trusting student. Who doesn’t look up to the dean of their graduate program?’
She claims that after graduating, Guggenheim brought her to visit Epstein at his Zorro ranch in New Mexico, allegedly telling her to ‘act grateful and tell him how wonderful he is’.
In previous statements to Art Net News, Guggenheim said she did not recall this conversation with Farmer, neither does she recall the visit to Epstein’s ranch or encouraging Farmer to sell her painting to Epstein
Farmer, as well as her sister Annie, who claims she also was sexually assaulted by Epstein, filed suit against the pedophile’s estate in New York City in November. Farmer alleged in court documents that Maxwell had threatened her by saying ‘there are many ways to die’ on the West Side Highway after she went to police over her alleged abuse
Farmer has claimed she was violently sexually assaulted in the summer of 1996 by Epstein and Maxwell at Victoria’s Secret chief Les Wexner Ohio home, after working for Epstein as his art consultant.
The morning after the alleged assault, Farmer claims she called Guggenheim in tears to tell her what happened.
Farmer said: ‘I was sobbing and said Epstein and Maxwell are sick people and I think I could have been raped.’
But Farmer claims that Guggenheim ‘blamed me and mocked me.’
In previous statements to Art Net News, Guggenheim said she did not recall this conversation with Farmer, neither does she recall the visit to Epstein’s ranch nor encouraging Farmer to sell her painting to Epstein.
Farmer, as well as her sister Annie, who claims she also was sexually assaulted by Epstein, filed suit against the pedophile’s estate in New York City in November.
Farmer alleged in court documents that Maxwell had threatened her by saying ‘there are many ways to die’ on the West Side Highway after she went to police over her alleged abuse.
The suit alleges: ‘Maxwell again called Maria to threaten her, but this time threatened her life: ‘I know you go to the West Side Highway all the time. While you’re out there, just be really careful because there are a lot of ways to die there’.’