Why Jeffrey Epstein’s art record is hard to piece together

The Justice Department released photographs last week through a court-approved disclosure required by Congress, offering a rare look inside Jeffrey Epstein’s properties. With auction records, these photos reveal a patchy public record that makes it hard to track what moved through his homes.

These photographs, along with auction listings from the estate dispersal, may become the only public documentation of objects that moved through Epstein’s properties. Their inconsistencies and omissions are consequential historically and for future resale, provenance research and institutional due diligence.

While attempting to identify objects in the photographs, a recurring problem emerged. It was often impossible to determine whether a censored image showed a recognized artwork, a decorative object, a personal photograph, or something more sinister.