Petrina Ryan-Kleid
Australian artist whose satirical painting Parsing Bill was displayed inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.
Snapshot
Petrina Ryan-Kleid is an Australian-born artist based in New York City. She became connected to the public record surrounding Jeffrey Epstein because her 2012 painting Parsing Bill was photographed inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence.
Ryan-Kleid created the painting while completing her Master of Fine Arts degree at the New York Academy of Art. She said it was student satire about the way political opponents caricature American presidents.
The available evidence establishes that:
- Ryan-Kleid painted Parsing Bill in 2012.
- The painting was shown and sold through a New York Academy of Art event.
- Ryan-Kleid said she did not know the buyer’s identity.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation photographs document the painting inside Epstein’s townhouse on July 6, 2019.
- No released evidence establishes that Epstein commissioned the painting.
- No reliable evidence establishes a personal relationship between Ryan-Kleid and Epstein.
- Ryan-Kleid has not been accused of participating in Epstein’s crimes.
Ryan-Kleid should therefore be described as an artist whose work came into Epstein’s possession, not as an Epstein associate.
Correct Name and Spelling
The artist’s professional name is Petrina Ryan-Kleid.
References that omit the hyphen and identify her as “Petrina Ryan Kleid” refer to the same person. Her artist profiles, interviews, and alumni biography use the hyphenated form.
Early Life and Artistic Career
Ryan-Kleid was raised on Australia’s Gold Coast. In a 2026 ABC Australia profile, she recalled selling her first painting in 1987, when she was a 16-year-old high school student.
She later traveled to New York and completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at the New York Academy of Art in 2012.
The New York Academy of Art alumni association describes Ryan-Kleid as an Australian-born artist living in New York City whose work examines social themes, perspective, and assumptions. Her Saatchi Art profile describes her figurative paintings as examinations of power, perception, and mythmaking.
Creating Parsing Bill
Ryan-Kleid created Parsing Bill in 2012 while completing her MFA thesis at the New York Academy of Art.
The four foot by four foot oil painting depicts former president Bill Clinton reclining in an armchair. Clinton is shown wearing a blue dress and red heels while pointing toward the viewer.
The blue dress referred to the dress associated with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Ryan-Kleid told Artnet News that the painting was intended to illustrate the messages and caricatures that surround political leaders.
The body in the painting was based on a pose by Christophe Nayel, a longtime model at the academy. Ryan-Kleid then painted Clinton’s face and constructed a setting resembling a formal presidential interior.
According to Ryan-Kleid’s interview with Artnet News, the work was not intended as a literal portrait or a celebration of Clinton, Epstein, or any political faction.
The Meaning of the Painting
Ryan-Kleid described Parsing Bill and its companion work, War Games, as paintings about how opposing political parties reduce presidents to scandal driven caricatures.
She explained that she had recently arrived in the United States from Australia and was not strongly aligned with either American political party. Her impressions of American politics came partly from television, including The Daily Show and Australian cable coverage.
Ryan-Kleid later expressed discomfort with the painting’s viral afterlife. She said the student work had acquired meanings and political associations that she had not intended.
The artist’s explanation is important because the painting is frequently presented online as if it had been created specifically for Epstein. No evidence supports that characterization.
War Games
War Games was another presidential satire in Ryan-Kleid’s 2012 thesis work. It depicts former president George W. Bush sitting on the floor with paper airplanes and fallen block towers.
Ryan-Kleid explained that War Games and Parsing Bill belonged to the same examination of political caricature. One reduced Clinton to the Lewinsky scandal. The other reduced Bush to war, September 11 imagery, and accusations of intellectual immaturity.
Online posts have repeatedly claimed that Epstein owned both paintings. That claim has not been substantiated.
A Snopes review of the War Games allegation found no reliable evidence that Epstein owned the Bush painting. Released photographs establish the presence of Parsing Bill in his townhouse, but no comparable evidence has been identified for War Games.
The two paintings’ appearance together in photographs of Ryan-Kleid’s thesis exhibition does not establish common ownership after the exhibition.
The 2012 Tribeca Ball
Ryan-Kleid said Parsing Bill was sold through the 2012 Tribeca Ball, a New York Academy of Art fundraiser where student work was presented to collectors and donors.
She believed the painting sold for approximately $1,300. This figure represents the artist’s recollection. A public invoice, bidding sheet, or sale receipt confirming the amount and purchaser has not been identified.
Ryan-Kleid said she did not know who bought the painting. After the sale, she lost track of it.
Artnet reported that the painting was purchased from the Tribeca Ball. Vanity Fair noted that it was unclear whether Epstein acquired it directly at that event.
The most accurate conclusion is that the work entered the collector market through the academy fundraiser and was later documented inside Epstein’s residence. The publicly available record does not fully establish every step in the transfer.
Was the Painting Commissioned by Epstein?
There is no released evidence that Epstein commissioned Parsing Bill.
The painting was an independently conceived student thesis work. It was created before Ryan-Kleid knew who would acquire it.
No correspondence, contract, commission agreement, invoice, or testimony has been identified showing that:
- Epstein asked Ryan-Kleid to paint Clinton.
- Epstein selected the subject or composition.
- Ryan-Kleid communicated directly with Epstein.
- Epstein requested alterations to the painting.
- Ryan-Kleid visited Epstein’s townhouse or other properties.
- Ryan-Kleid knew where the painting was displayed.
Epstein commissioned and purchased other artwork through the New York Academy of Art network. That history cannot be used to convert every artwork he acquired into a commission.
Describing Parsing Bill as “commissioned by Epstein” is unsupported and should be corrected.
Photographic Evidence Inside Epstein’s Townhouse
Federal Bureau of Investigation photographs taken during the July 6, 2019 search of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse document Parsing Bill on the wall.
Several released images show the painting from different distances and angles:
- EFTA00000856 shows the painting through a doorway near a staircase.
- EFTA00000862 provides a more direct view of the painting on the wall.
- EFTA00001458 shows the portrait beside a doorway marked with the letter “A.”
- EFTA00001459 shows the painting beside a desk or work area.
The photographs were included in Justice Department disclosures released publicly in December 2025. They provide stronger evidence than the anonymous descriptions circulated in 2019 because the images come from the documented FBI search record.
The photographs prove that the painting was physically displayed inside Epstein’s residence on July 6, 2019. They do not, by themselves, identify the seller, purchase date, price, intermediary, or legal chain of title.
EpsteinWiki maintains a separate evidence page for EFTA00000862 and an article about Parsing Bill.
The New York Academy of Art Context
The New York Academy of Art is more than a coincidental background detail.
Epstein served on the academy’s board from 1987 until 1994. The academy initially disputed that history but later confirmed his seven years of board service, according to Artnet News.
Survivor and artist Maria Farmer said she met Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell through the academy environment during her 1995 thesis exhibition. Farmer alleged that academy official Eileen Guggenheim pressured her to sell a painting to Epstein at a reduced price. Guggenheim disputed Farmer’s account.
Farmer subsequently worked for Epstein as an art consultant. She has said Epstein and Maxwell sexually assaulted her in Ohio in 1996 and that her attempts to report them were disregarded.
This institutional history matters because it shows that Epstein had longstanding access to young artists, student exhibitions, administrators, and fundraising events. It does not establish that Ryan-Kleid knew about this history or had personal contact with Epstein.
Ryan-Kleid graduated and sold Parsing Bill through an academy fundraiser many years after Farmer’s reported experiences.
The Academy’s 2012 Explanation
Epstein’s foundation issued a 2012 announcement claiming it had provided important funding to the New York Academy of Art.
The academy later disputed that description. A representative told Artnet that the supposed funding may have consisted of tickets purchased for the 2012 Tribeca Ball. The academy said Epstein’s foundation issued the promotional announcement without its knowledge or approval.
This creates an important distinction:
- Epstein or his foundation appears to have participated financially in the 2012 fundraiser.
- Ryan-Kleid’s painting was sold through that event.
- The painting later appeared in Epstein’s townhouse.
- The released public record does not yet supply the complete transaction file connecting those facts.
Independent researchers should not fill that documentary gap with certainty.
Ryan-Kleid’s 2019 Response
Ryan-Kleid said she learned that her painting had been displayed in Epstein’s home only after the story received international attention in 2019.
She described the experience as overwhelming. The painting had been uploaded to Saatchi Art years earlier, which allowed journalists to identify her as the artist.
After the image went viral, people began purchasing prints. Ryan-Kleid estimated that approximately 100 to 150 prints were sold during the initial surge and that her share was about $14 per print. She told Artnet that she was uncomfortable with the demand and had not decided what to do with the proceeds.
Her response is consistent with an artist unexpectedly discovering that an earlier student work had entered the collection of a notorious purchaser.
Renewed Attention After the DOJ Release
The painting received renewed attention when the Justice Department released the townhouse photographs in December 2025.
A 2025 Snopes review concluded that the released images confirmed the painting’s presence in Epstein’s home.
In July 2026, ABC Australia profiled Ryan-Kleid while reporting on her reunion with Terri Lew, the collector who had purchased Ryan-Kleid’s first painting in 1987.
That profile confirmed that Ryan-Kleid continued to identify Parsing Bill as a 2012 work exhibited through the Tribeca Ball. It did not report any personal relationship between the artist and Epstein.
Sleuth and Independent Research
Independent Epstein researchers have examined the painting as part of Epstein’s use of art, décor, and institutional patronage.
In “Vicky Ward’s ‘The Talented Mr. Epstein’ Then and Now”, researcher Ellie Leonard places Parsing Bill within a broader review of Epstein’s Manhattan residence and the image of wealth and eccentricity he presented to visitors.
The independent Substack investigation “Jeffrey Epstein’s Corruption of the New York Academy of Art” connects the painting to Epstein’s longer involvement with the academy and its fundraising network.
That Substack states that Epstein bought the painting after seeing it at the Tribeca Ball. The event connection is supported by reporting, but the precise acquisition sequence remains less firmly documented than the painting’s later presence in his townhouse. The claim should therefore be treated as investigative interpretation unless a sale record is produced.
Sleuth work is valuable for identifying connections and documentary leads. Claims drawn from it should still be checked against the artist’s account, institutional records, released photographs, and transaction documents.
Evidence Assessment
Confirmed by released evidence
- Petrina Ryan-Kleid created Parsing Bill in 2012.
- She created it as a New York Academy of Art student.
- The work was part of her MFA thesis period.
- It was exhibited through the 2012 Tribeca Ball.
- FBI photographs show the painting inside Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on July 6, 2019.
- Epstein had a longstanding institutional relationship with the New York Academy of Art.
Supported by the artist’s account
- Ryan-Kleid intended the work as political satire.
- The blue dress referred to Monica Lewinsky’s dress.
- Ryan-Kleid did not know the purchaser’s identity.
- She believed the sale price was approximately $1,300.
- She lost track of the painting after its sale.
- She learned of its location through the 2019 media coverage.
Not established
- That Epstein commissioned the painting.
- That Ryan-Kleid sold it directly to Epstein.
- That Ryan-Kleid met or communicated with Epstein.
- That she visited any Epstein residence.
- That she knew where the painting would be displayed.
- That Epstein owned War Games.
- That the painting proves anything about Clinton’s conduct or knowledge.
- That Epstein’s reason for displaying the painting is known.
Timeline
1987
Ryan-Kleid sold her first known painting while attending high school on Australia’s Gold Coast.
2012
Ryan-Kleid completed her MFA at the New York Academy of Art.
She created Parsing Bill and War Games as satirical presidential works.
Parsing Bill was exhibited and sold through the academy’s Tribeca Ball fundraiser.
2013
Ryan-Kleid uploaded an image of Parsing Bill to Saatchi Art.
July 6, 2019
FBI personnel photographed Parsing Bill during the search of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.
August 2019
Media reports identified Ryan-Kleid as the artist. She said she had not known the painting was in Epstein’s possession.
December 2025
The Justice Department released FBI photographs showing the painting inside the townhouse.
March 2026
The New York Academy of Art announced that it was redirecting approximately $66,000 in Epstein-linked donations received after his 2008 conviction to an organization supporting girls and young women affected by exploitation. The academy’s board chair also announced an early departure amid renewed scrutiny.
July 2026
ABC Australia published a new profile of Ryan-Kleid and her early artistic career.
Consequences and Fallout
The principal consequence for Ryan-Kleid was unwanted international attention. A student painting became attached to the public mythology surrounding Epstein, Clinton, and the contents of Epstein’s townhouse.
For the New York Academy of Art, the painting became one visible piece of a much more serious institutional history. Reporting about Maria Farmer, Epstein’s former board membership, his access to students, and donations accepted after his conviction led to new scrutiny of the academy’s governance and collector relationships.
That broader institutional reckoning should not be transferred onto Ryan-Kleid without evidence. The record presently portrays her as an artist who lost control of a work after its sale and later discovered that it had been displayed by a convicted sex offender.
Key Takeaways
Petrina Ryan-Kleid’s connection to the Epstein record is specific and limited.
She painted Parsing Bill as an MFA student. It was sold through a New York Academy of Art fundraiser. She said she did not know the buyer. Years later, the painting was photographed inside Epstein’s townhouse.
The evidence does not support describing Ryan-Kleid as an Epstein associate or as an artist hired by Epstein. It also does not support claims that Epstein owned her companion Bush painting.
The strongest primary evidence consists of the FBI photographs documenting Parsing Bill inside the townhouse. Questions about the exact purchase, payment, and transfer remain open pending the discovery of transaction records.
Related EpsteinWiki Pages
- Jeffrey Epstein
- Bill Clinton
- Parsing Bill: The Clinton Portrait in Jeffrey Epstein’s Collection
- Portrait Painting of Bill Clinton Displayed in Epstein Residence, EFTA00000862
Editorial Note
Inclusion in EpsteinWiki does not imply criminal conduct, participation in abuse, or knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
This article distinguishes physical evidence from media reporting and inference. Ryan-Kleid has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Sources
Primary and Direct Evidence
- Epstein Data, EFTA00000856
- Epstein Data, EFTA00000862
- Epstein Data, EFTA00001458
- Epstein Data, EFTA00001459
- Petrina Ryan-Kleid, Archive of Works
- Petrina Ryan-Kleid, Saatchi Art profile
- New York Academy of Art Alumni Association, Petrina Ryan-Kleid
Artist Interviews and Reporting
- Artnet News, “The Artist Who Painted Jeffrey Epstein’s Portrait of Bill Clinton in a Dress Tells Us Why She Made It, and What It Means”
- ABC Australia, “Artist Behind Portrait in Epstein Files Reunites With Collector Who Purchased First Piece”
- Vanity Fair, “The Bill Clinton Portrait Is Not Even the Most Sinister Decor Found in Jeffrey Epstein’s Mansion”
- Snopes, “Epstein Owned Painting of Bill Clinton in a Blue Dress”
- Snopes, “Did Epstein Own Painting of G.W. Bush Playing With Paper Planes?”
Institutional and Survivor Context
- Artnet News, “Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Maria Farmer Says the New York Academy of Art Helped Enable the Disgraced Financier”
- Artnet News, “New York Academy of Art Donates Jeffrey Epstein Linked Funds”