Jupiter Contemporary faces several lawsuits

Jupiter Contemporary, an art gallery in New York and Miami Beach, faces numerous lawsuits involving unpaid rent, disputes with artists over sales and missing works, and a claim over a damaged sculpture that has been settled.

Court records show the cases span 2024 through early 2026 and involve the gallery and its owner, Gabriel Kilongo, in state and federal courts in New York and Florida.

The filings include eviction cases in New York and Florida, two lawsuits from artists claiming unpaid money and missing artwork, and a federal case about a $1.6 million sculpture that has since been dismissed. Several of the cases remain ongoing.

Urgent Matter has reached out to Jupiter for more information and additional comment.

Paid subscribers can read the court documents for each of the cases.

Evictions in New York and Miami Beach

The gallery lost control of spaces in both New York and Miami Beach after disputes over unpaid rent, according to court records.

In New York, BCD Delancey LLC filed a nonpayment lawsuit against Jupiter in September 2025 over a storefront at 55 Delancey Street.

The gallery replied the next month, raising several defenses. In court filings, it described the space as having issues like “SPACE NOT PAINTED AND WATER DAMAGE.”

On November 17, a judge ruled in favor of the landlord, giving them possession of the space and awarding $48,150. A warrant was later issued for eviction.

Court records show the gallery was evicted around March 2, 2026. A sign in the window confirmed that New York City Marshals had taken over the storefront.

After the eviction, Jupiter sought to overturn the judgment, arguing it had not been properly served and asked to be restored to the space. It also requested time to pay what it owes or, if it cannot return, access to remove its belongings.

The court has not yet ruled on those requests.

In a separate development, the gallery’s attorney asked to withdraw from the case. The attorney wrote in a filing that there were “difficulties which have inhibited my ability to vigorously represent” the client. A hearing about this request is set for May 4 in New York Civil Court.

In Miami Beach, another eviction case followed a similar dispute over unpaid rent.

Landlord Diamond Enterprises served a three-day notice in July 2025 demanding $21,607 in unpaid rent or that Jupiter vacate its space at 1217 71st Street.

The landlord then filed for eviction. In September 2025, both sides agreed that Kilongo would pay $60,883 in installments by the end of the year, along with monthly rent starting in January 2026.

The agreement also said that some artworks would be given as collateral and returned if all payments were made. If Jupiter failed to meet the terms, the landlord could seek eviction without further notice or hearing. Court records show the tenant did not meet those terms.

On December 29, a Miami-Dade County judge granted the landlord possession of the property and ordered that a writ of possession be issued. The case was closed following that order.

Artists allege unpaid sales and missing works

At least two artists have accused Jupiter of failing to pay them for sold works and not returning others, court records show.

Artist Jade Thacker sued Jupiter and Burchard Galleries, an auction house in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 6, 2025.

In her lawsuit, Thacker alleged that Jupiter failed to pay for a confirmed sale and later allowed several of her works to be listed for auction without her permission. She seeks damages, including $25,000 for the value of the works.

According to the complaint, Thacker entered into an agreement with the gallery on January 5, 2024, covering two artworks. She later provided pricing for nine additional works that were delivered to the gallery and included in a solo exhibition in Miami from May 19 through June 29, 2024.

Around June 23, 2024, Kilongo allegedly confirmed in writing that one work had sold, but no payment was made. The complaint alleges that from July through September 2024, Thacker repeatedly requested payment and the return of unsold works, but those requests were not fulfilled.

Thacker formally demanded the return of all 11 works in March 2025, according to the complaint. She said Kilongo agreed to arrange their shipment but failed to follow through.

The artist later learned in September that several of her works had been listed for auction by Burchard Galleries on October 19. Thacker said she “never authorized Jupiter Contemporary or any other party to consign or sell Plaintiff’s works through Burchard Galleries” and alleged the works were transferred without her consent after storage fees went unpaid.

Thacker is seeking to recover the works, stop the auction and obtain damages. The case is ongoing.

In a separate lawsuit filed March 9 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Brooklyn artist Stephanie Pierce accused Kilongo and Jupiter of failing to pay her for two works sold during a 2023 exhibition and not returning other pieces.

According to the complaint, Pierce’s work was shown at the gallery in Miami Beach from October 6 to November 18, 2023, and two pieces were sold. A sales report dated January 3, 2024, stated she was owed $14,985.

The complaint said the gallery told her in an April 3, 2024, email that it had “just followed up with the client about this … I am expecting to receive the payment this month” and was “working on getting the payment out to you as soon as we receive it.”

Pierce alleged the gallery had already received payment for the works but she still had not been paid. She also alleged that several unsold works were not returned and were later found in storage facilities where fees went unpaid.

Pierce is asking for at least $100,000 in damages.

Kilongo, who is representing himself, denied the claims in an April 1 court filing. He wrote that “payment relating to the works has been made and that the return of the remaining works is actively in progress, with a majority already returned.”

Court records show the defendants have until April 24 to respond, after asking for more time to hire a lawyer.

Sculpture dispute settled and dismissed

A separate lawsuit over a damaged sculpture valued at $1.6 million was settled and dismissed in federal court in Manhattan. That lawsuit was filed by “Location Incorporated,” a New York company tied to an artist who created the sculpture.

Location Incorporated filed the case on February 17, 2026, alleging Jupiter and Kilongo mishandled a sculpture that had been consigned for display at the Untitled Art fair in Miami Beach in December 2024.

The artist's name was not included in court documents. According to Jupiter’s website, it presented Izhar Patkin’s 1990 sculpture Palagonia at Untitled Art Miami Beach 2024. It was not immediately clear whether the artwork referenced in the lawsuit was Patkin's work.

The complaint said the artwork was shipped to Florida without any problems, but did not sell. Both sides had agreed it would be sent back to New York using a dedicated truck and a qualified shipping company.

However, the gallery reportedly did not arrange the return properly, and the sculpture was later handled and stored by others. Even after many requests for its return, the work was finally sent back “in pieces” on April 24, 2025.

The artist and an insurance adjuster considered it a total loss.

The filing said the defendants agreed to be responsible for any damage while the work was in their care and to provide insurance. It also said an insurer offered $879,000 for the loss.

The case was dismissed on March 23, 2026, after both sides reached a settlement. The details of the settlement were not shared.

Follow along with other lawsuits at Urgent Matter's art lawsuit tracker.