# Clinton Painting at Epstein’s Estate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801 "2019-08-17T17:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/1 "2019-08-17T17:03:55Z")
Has Bill been asked or commented on why there is a massive painting of him in a red dress at Epstein’s estate? My opinion is it probably was a rich person gag gift, but still hilarious nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/2 "2019-08-17T17:05:55Z")
> [@Mrdeals](#): > > Has Bill been asked or commented on why there is a massive painting of him in a red dress at Epstein’s estate? > > My opinion is it probably was a rich person gag gift, but still hilarious nonetheless. From what I’ve seen, it was a blue dress. ---
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/3 "2019-08-17T17:08:16Z")
Sorry I had the colors messed up, thought it was red dress blue shoes, it’s opposite of that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/4 "2019-08-17T17:13:11Z")
[Here](https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bill-clinton-blue-dress-painting-jeffrey-epstein-1628437) is an article from Artnet News about the painting, including a picture of it, in case others like me were not familiar with it. ---
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/5 "2019-08-17T17:20:27Z")
Major let down, it was produced independant of Clinton and Epstein. Would still be fun to hear what Bill thinks of it…but I’m sure he has seen it before the rest of the world did ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/6 "2019-08-17T17:56:41Z")
Why would Clinton have any more knowledge of it than anyone else? It’s not like he was the one who painted it, and I’m sure that lots of people have depicted him in artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/7 "2019-08-17T18:03:20Z")
Does an artist need permission to paint a likeness of a real person? I don’t think so but I’m not a lawyer. Pretty sure you cannot sell photos of a real person without paying the person. ---
**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/8 "2019-08-17T18:20:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Why would Clinton have any more knowledge of it than anyone else? It’s not like he was the one who painted it, and I’m sure that lots of people have depicted him in artwork. He knew Epstein, I’m sure as soon as Epstein bought it he called Bill ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/9 "2019-08-17T18:22:44Z")
The rules are different for public figures. Plenty of people sell pictures of the President without payment nor permission. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/10 "2019-08-17T18:41:46Z")
[Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXy7qYAKrfc) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/11 "2019-08-17T22:28:42Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Does an artist need permission to paint a likeness of a real person? I don’t think so but I’m not a lawyer. Pretty sure you cannot sell photos of a real person without paying the person. Looks like you just put all the tabloids out of business. And Etsy. Privacy rights are covered under state laws, not federal law, and they are a mishmosh of confusing exceptions. Here’s a [good article](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/artists-can-you-be-sued_b_1160110) on some of the issues. > [@Chronos](#): > > The rules are different for public figures. Plenty of people sell pictures of the President without payment nor permission. Actually, some public figures have better protection than unknowns, as with the [California Celebrities Rights Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Celebrities_Rights_Act), which now has had the rights extend past death. One obscure point of law is known by very few. It is illegal to use a photograph or movie still as the reference work for a painting [without permission](https://www.bellevuefineart.com/copyright-issues-for-artists/). In the real world, of course, these issues are ignored by almost everyone. A few court cases have resulted, but I’m sure you can find millions of paintings of Clinton or Trump or Pelosi or McConnell in the wild and nobody will do anything about them. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-painting-at-epstein-s-estate/838801/12 "2019-08-17T22:33:36Z")
The artist did a symbolic painting of Bush too. Him sitting on the rug of the Oval Office with his legs crossed (referencing him being in a classroom on the morning of 9/11) playing with a paper plane as Jenga pieces lie fallen on the ground.