Racquel Chevremont, a model, curator, and reality TV star, has filed a 31-page lawsuit against her former romantic partner, artist Mickalene Thomas, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The suit expands on earlier harassment allegations from August, detailing claims of an abusive work environment and financial exploitation. Chevremont alleges that Thomas denied her promised compensation from sales of artworks featuring Chevremont, including a painting that sold for $1.83 million, and that Thomas paid herself significant sums while Chevremont received nothing from their joint company, MT Special Projects (also known as Deux Femmes Noires). Thomas has denied the allegations through a spokesperson, calling them false and a desperate attempt to profit from her reputation.
This case matters because it brings to light the complex power dynamics and financial arrangements between artists and their muses or collaborators, particularly within the high-stakes contemporary art market. The lawsuit involves a major auction sale and a prominent collector family, the Mugrabis, highlighting how personal relationships intersect with business dealings in the art world. The outcome could set a precedent for how artists and their partners handle shared intellectual property and revenue from artworks, especially when one party is a well-known figure whose likeness is central to the other's work.