Art Institute of Chicago president under investigation after airplane incident: reports
CHICAGO - The president of the Art Institute of Chicago is under investigation and will be taking time away from the job after an incident on a flight, according to a news report.
What we know:
In a statement, the Art Institute of Chicago said it has opened an investigation over the alleged incident and that President James Rondeau "will voluntarily be taking time away from the office while the investigation is completed."
While the institute didn’t clarify what happened, CBS News Chicago first reported that Rondeau allegedly stripped off his clothes during a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Munich on April 18.
United Airlines did not provide any comment on the incident.
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 13: James Rondeau, Director of the Art Institute of Chicago stands next to the iconic painting American Gothic, 1930 by Grant Wood, as it is installed at the Royal Academy of Arts ahead of the exhibition "America After The
The backstory:
Rondeau has served as president of the institute since 2016 and began his career there in 1998.
He has a salary of about $1 million, according to the institute’s tax documents.
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the city’s most popular cultural attractions. Founded in 1879, it has a permanent collection featuring nearly 300,000 works of art.