Duo Calls to Oust Leon Black in Protest Outside MoMA

On September 22, two protesters took to the steps of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to demand the removal of billionaire Leon Black from the museum's board of directors. Katie Fuller, the founder of the research initiative Time & Memory Project, was joined by her sister, who preferred to remain anonymous. Their grievances against Black stemmed from multiple rape allegations, which had yet to result in a conviction, and his association with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

The protesters handed out zines that delved into the allegations, questioned Black's role as a trustee, and mocked his ownership of a pastel version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (1893). Katie Fuller particularly took offense when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche allowed Maxwell, Epstein's convicted accomplice, to be transferred to a minimum-security prison in 2025.

This demonstration occurred just six days after the US House of Representatives unanimously voted to hold Black in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas in an Epstein investigation. Black, a prominent business mogul, has been under scrutiny since 2021, when it was revealed he had paid Epstein $158 million for financial advice between 2012 and 2017, following Epstein's initial conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

MoMA has yet to provide a response to Hyperallergic's request for comment. Fuller shared some of the remarks left by onlookers.