The identity of the artist who created the bizarre painting featuring former US president Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress and red heels, which was found by police during the search of the New York mansion belonging to the late Jeffrey Epstein, has been confirmed, The Epoch Times reports.
According to the newspaper, the painting in question is the work of Petrina Ryan-Kleid, a Manhattan-based artist whose “specialty is realism with a focus on satire,” and whose subjects are “often politicians and celebrities.”
A native of Australia, she received her MFA in 2012 from the New York Academy of Art, and many of her works have been exhibited in both the United States and her home country, while her LinkedIn profile suggests that she currently works as marketing communications director for Tarifica, a Manhattan-based software company.
As Monsters and Critics notes, Ryan-Kleid also did a painting of former US President George W. Bush titled “War Games”, featuring him sitting on the floor of the Oval Office and playing with toy airplanes.
The painting, dubbed “Parsing Billy”, depicts Bill Clinton reclining in a chair in the Oval Office wearing a blue women’s dress and red high-heels, pointing his finger at the viewer.
The Epoch Times also points out that the first person to follow Ryan-Kleid on Twitter was none other than former ex-President of the United States Barack Obama.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead on 10 August in his prison cell after he was arrested and charged with sex trafficking. While his death is regarded as an apparent suicide, there have been numerous theories about possible foul play, given Epstein's circle of rich and powerful acquaintances.