Epstein files: Sex offender set up legal vehicle for billionaires Ronald Lauder, Leon Black to hold $25 million artwork

Jeffrey Epstein coordinated the creation of a legal vehicle in 2014 that allowed billionaire financiers Ronald Lauder and Leon Black to share ownership of a $25 million painting, a deal that sheds new light on the extent of the convicted sex offender’s connections to wealth and power.

Black’s association with Epstein has been publicly known for years, but the trove of emails released by the Department of Justice last week reveals Epstein’s association with Lauder — an heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire, art collector and major donor to President Donald Trump.

In the emails, members of Lauder’s and Epstein’s staffs arranged lunches for the two men at Epstein’s Upper East Side residence on two occasions in 2017, long after many other prominent individuals and institutions had cut ties with him. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution with a minor.

The files released by the DOJ, which are heavily redacted, don’t reveal any direct correspondence between Epstein and Lauder. They also don’t suggest Lauder had involvement with Epstein beyond limited business, social and philanthropic engagements. Lauder has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or his crimes.

A spokesman for Lauder didn’t provide a comment in response to calls and emails seeking one. A Black representative declined to comment.

Black, who until 2021 was chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management Inc., frequently paid Epstein for estate planning and tax advice. Alongside management of Black’s other financial interests, Epstein in 2014 created an LLC for Black and Lauder to jointly own “Ja - Was? - Bild,” a mixed-media work by the German collagist Kurt Schwitters. Called “Friends Ventures,” the vehicle stipulated that each would possess the $25 million work for two-and-a-half years at a time, with an option to purchase the other’s stake if one them died.

Later, in 2017, Epstein frequently pursued meetings and phone calls with Lauder to help Bill Gates raise money for health initiatives and on his own behalf, as Epstein attempted to position himself as a middleman in a brewing Mideast conflict.

In the emails, staffers coordinated a lunch with Lauder at Epstein’s Upper East Side residence including Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson on Feb. 24, 2017. In follow-up messages three days later, they attempted to schedule future get-togethers.

“Jeffrey says Ronald had offered to host him and Jim Watson the weekend of March 11th,” Epstein’s assistant wrote to a Lauder staffer on Feb. 27. “But Jeffrey is wondering if it might be possible to have Ronald give them a tour of the gallery instead the week of March 13th. Please let me know if this is something Ronald might like to do!”

The Lauder staffer replied: “The week of March 13th should be fine. What date would they prefer? And what time? Also, Ronald is asking if Jeffrey has a direct number he can call him on.”

The staffers exchanged emails on the possible scheduling of the gallery tour for several months in 2017 but there’s no indication it took place; they also coordinated a lunch for the two men on Aug. 17.

Four days later, Epstein’s assistant told Lauder’s assistant in an email that Epstein wanted to see Lauder’s tax returns and his will, in order to “give him the best guidance” on an unspecified matter. Lauder’s assistant replied that she passed along the request. Subsequent emails don’t show that it went any further.

Epstein’s assistant continued trying to arrange meetings between Epstein and Lauder after that, without success. There is no record in the files of contact between the two men or their staffers after January 2018.

Lauder has in recent years become a generous donor to Trump and to MAGA, giving $1 million to the president’s second inauguration and, more recently, $5 million to MAGA Inc., Trump’s super political action committee. Lauder’s son-in-law, Kevin Warsh, was nominated last week to lead the Federal Reserve.

Warsh’s name also appears twice in the Epstein emails, both times on lists of invitees to events shared with Epstein by the organizers. There’s no suggestion Warsh attended those events. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing. A spokeswoman for Warsh didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article.