Market dispatch·Miami Beach
$2,000 of $42,000 Paid: Miami Dealer Faces Fourth Lawsuit in Two Years as His Gallery Dissolves
Miami Beach dealer Gabriel Kilongo faces a fourth lawsuit in two years, with artist Yirui Jia alleging he paid her only $2,000 of $42,000 owed for five paintings, as his gallery Jupiter was administratively dissolved in September.
Miami Beach dealer Gabriel Kilongo is facing a fourth lawsuit in two years from an artist alleging non-payment, as questions mount over the future of his gallery, Jupiter. Artist Yirui Jia sued Kilongo in September in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, alleging she received only $2,000 of a $42,000 sum owed for five paintings sold after her 2025 solo show at Jupiter's Miami Beach space.
A sales report in the lawsuit shows the five paintings sold for $2,000 to $32,000 each. Two went to a Vancouver buyer named Bing Zhang, the other three to Bradley Chubb, the Buffalo Bills linebacker. Jia says Kilongo assured her in writing that he would pay, telling her he was managing a very tight cash flow, but the money never arrived. Her lawyer said the complaint speaks for itself. Kilongo has not responded to the complaint, and said the four cases are distinct proceedings.
The earlier cases trace a pattern. Jade Thacker sued in 2025, alleging she was owed $204,000 for one sale and the return of unsold works; Kilongo has not responded to that suit. Location Incorporated sued in February 2026 claiming $1.6 million in damage to a sculpture shown at the Untitled Art fair in Miami Beach in 2024; that case was dismissed and later settled. In March, artist Stephanie Pierce sued, saying she was owed money for 2023 sales and that he had withheld artworks, seeking $100,000. Kilongo denied her claims, saying payment had been made and returns were mostly complete.
In May, Kilongo surrendered his New York gallery space to his landlord and agreed to pay $25,000. Whether Jupiter still operates in Miami Beach is unclear; its website lists a two-person show for George Clinton and Gerasimos Floratos, closed in February, as its latest. Artnet's Kenny Schachter reported Jupiter was administratively dissolved on 25 September, the day after Jia sued; Kilongo disputes this. Schachter also reported Kilongo was detained by US immigration authorities and released, which ARTnews could not verify. Kilongo founded Jupiter in 2022 after working at Mitchell-Innes & Nash.
