The leader of the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the most widely visited museums in the US, is taking time off amid an investigation into his behavior on a flight last month.
CBS News reported late on Friday night that James Rondeau, the president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago since 2016, had voluntarily stepped away from his post while that investigation proceeded.
An Art Institute of Chicago spokesperson said in a statement to ARTnews, “The Art Institute takes this very seriously and has opened an independent investigation into the incident to gather all available information.” The spokesperson confirmed that Rondeau had voluntarily taken time off during the investigation.
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According to the CBS News report, the investigation stemmed from an alleged incident that took place on a flight from Chicago to Munich in April. Citing anonymous sources, the report said that police were “called to the plane following reports of a passenger stripping off his clothes.” Those sources told CBS News that Rondeau was that very passenger, and that “the incident occurred after he drank alcohol and took prescription medication.”
Rondeau has been at the Art Institute of Chicago since 1998, when he joined as an associate curator of contemporary art. He became chair of contemporary art in 2004, and while leading that department, he merged it with the institution’s modern art department. The newly merged modern and contemporary art department received a $400 million art donation from collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson in 2015, in what remains the museum’s largest gift ever. Through that gift, essential works by Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and more entered the collection.
As the museum’s leader, Rondeau has continued luring important gifts, including a $75 million one from Aaron I. Fleischman and Lin Lougheed last year that will be used to build new galleries for 19th-century art, as well as modern and contemporary art.
Also in 2024, the museum faced controversy for the way it dealt with a pro-Palestine encampment on its grounds that was led by students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a related entity to the museum. Sixty-eight students were arrested after the school called the police. (The school has been the subject of behind-the-scenes upheaval surrounding Israel’s war in Gaza.) The arrests moved more than 40 Art Institute of Chicago employees to write a letter to Rondeau, urging the museum to cut ties with any board members with financial connections to Israel.