Racquel Chevremont, a model, curator, and Real Housewives of New York star, has filed suit against her former romantic partner, artist Mickalene Thomas, whom she had already accused of harassment over the summer.
Chevremont previously accused Thomas of creating an “abusive work environment” in a legal filing submitted in August. But where those allegations went largely without detail in that three-page filing, Chevremont’s 31-page lawsuit significantly expands on them. The suit was submitted on Monday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.
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It centers on the working relationship between Chevremont and Thomas, who is known for her images of Black women in poses that both recall and subvert the conventions of Old Master painting. Often studded with rhinestones, Thomas’s paintings have been exhibited widely, most notably in a 2012 Brooklyn Museum survey.
Chevremont has appeared as a model in some of Thomas’s most famous works. One Thomas painting featuring Chevremont sold for $1.83 million.
The two began dating in 2011, and Chevremont assisted Thomas in publicizing that show and helping out with later photoshoots, according to the suit. Their relationship became the subject of glossy magazine profiles and widespread fascination.
While Chevremont’s suit does not state a precise date for her and Thomas’s break-up, it does say that their relationship started to fray by the end of 2020, when Chevremont “began to uncover Ms. Thomas’ lies and exploitation of her.” Their relationship’s end was not public knowledge until 2022, when a New York Post article revealed their separation. A 2021 New York Times Magazine profile of Thomas stated that the two were still together.
“Mickalene is a world-renowned artist who is the sole author and architect of her decades-long success,” a spokesperson for the artist said in a statement to ARTnews. “The allegations made by her ex-girlfriend are completely false and a desperate attempt to remain relevant and profit off Mickalene’s hard-earned reputation, career achievements, and legacy. We will deal with this frivolous and petty exploitation in court.”
Through a representative, Chevremont declined to comment further.
‘The Benefits of Their Collaboration’
Much of the suit centers around how Chevremont and Thomas handled MT Special Projects, a company that was also known as Deux Femmes Noires. The company tended to receive press as a curatorial platform, which a W Magazine profile once described as being devoted “to lesser-known artists (particularly those who are women of color).” Deux Femmes Noires organized presentations for the Parrish Art Museum and the Volta art fair.
In fact, the lawsuit states that one of the company’s primary functions was to ensure that Thomas and Chevremont “would share equally in the benefits of their collaboration.” According to the suit, both had a 50 percent share in the company, which owned photographs of Chevremont that were shot by Thomas. The artist allegedly “insisted” that her paintings of Chevremont be owned by a different company, for “market and logistical reasons.”
“However,” the suit claims, “Ms. Thomas agreed that Ms. Chevremont would receive a portion of the sale proceeds.” This tracks with a 2022 Artnet News report on the inner workings of Thomas’s studio. The report included images of a document that appeared to show Chevremont was receiving significant cuts in sales of artworks by Thomas that featured her. (A representative for Thomas told Artnet that the document was “outdated.”)
But this is not quite what happened, according to the suit—even as Chevremont took on a greater role behind the scenes sometime around 2018. “For years, Ms. Thomas paid herself significant sums while denying Ms. Chevremont her promised compensation,” the suit alleges.
By way of example, the suit cites a 2021 deal with the mega-collecting Mugrabi family, which allegedly sought to pay Thomas for the creation of new paintings. The deal purportedly began at $2.25 million and involved 40 paintings, and Chevremont was asked to renegotiate the terms. After working with José Mugrabi and dealer Dominique Lévy to establish a new, more expensive deal, Thomas offered to pay Chevremont $2 million. (ARTnews was unable to reach Lévy and Mugrabi ahead of publication.) Thomas never gave Chevremont the money, according to the suit.
‘Escalating Abuse’ and Allegations of Retaliation
The lawsuit also details Chevremont’s previous allegations of harassment—and now includes a fresh accusation of what the suit describes as “escalating abuse—emotional, and ultimately physical.”
According to the suit, Thomas sent Chevremont “unsolicited romantic gestures via text message, even after their professional relationship had transitioned to a strictly business footing,” and made Chevremont feel “uncomfortable and unsafe at work.” Chevremont also claims that she “caught Ms. Thomas, without consent, searching through her purse and cell phone at the studio.”
The filing also includes a new allegation of sexual harassment, claiming that Thomas “insisted that they have adjoining rooms” on a work trip in 2021. The suit claims that Chevremont refused this arrangement before going on to note that Thomas “entered Ms. Chevremont’s adjoining hotel room without consent while Ms. Chevremont was in the shower.” Chevremont claimed that she could not complain to a human resources department at Thomas’s studio because it did not have one.
Thomas allegedly fired Chevremont in 2022, then went on what the suit calls a “retaliatory campaign.” One such instance allegedly involved Thomas’s collaboration with Brand X Editions, a New York–based printmaking gallery. Thomas and Chevremont’s company allegedly began talks to enter a $4 million partnership with Brand X. The agreement was sunk by Thomas, who canceled the contract. (A Brand X spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.)
The suit also revealed that Chevremont owns works by Kara Walker, Tschabalala Self, Titus Kaphar, Hank Willis Thomas, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Chevremont alleged that these pieces—which went unnamed and unspecified in the lawsuit—were being held in storage by Thomas, who “threatened” Chevremont after she attempted to recover them. Chevremont did so after a year and a half.
Chevremont is now seeking a trial and millions of dollars in damages.
