A gallerist who prided himself on lifting up marginalized communities has been accused of exploiting those same artists, potentially jeopardizing his standing in the elite art world.
Jonathan Carver Moore, 40, the founder and director of an art gallery of the same name, has been accused of baiting artists, ghosting them and refusing to pay for their sales, according to nine artists who spoke to the San Francisco Standard. He has said that some of the claims are inaccurate.
Seven of the artists have drafted a letter to Moore, demanding he return their pieces or pay them back, the Standard reported.
‘To experience this treatment from a Black-owned gallery that publicly states its mission is to amplify the voices of underrepresented artists, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women artists, is not only inconsistent with that stated mission, it’s a serious breach of the trust we placed in you,’ the letter said, according to the Standard.
Demond Melancon, who says he is one of the affected artists, told the publication that he jumped at the chance to show 10 of his original ritual masks at the Expo Chicago art fair with Moore.
‘I wasn’t gonna show these pieces with Jonathan, but I trusted him, being one of the only other black gallerists in the country. So I tried to show him love in Chicago,’ Melancon told the Standard.
The artist said the 10 pieces cost $70,500 in total. He said he agreed to receive half of the price, but was never paid.
Melancon added that he pressed Moore for payment but said he received no response to his calls or emails.
Jonathan Carver Moore, pictured above in front of his gallery, has been accused of failing to pay artists after agreeing to show their pieces
Demond Melancon, pictured above posing for a portrait in April, is among several artists who have accused Moore of wrongdoing
Moore is accused of ghosting artists after collecting their work and failing to facilitate sales, but has denied the claims. He is pictured above at a gala in 2024
Moore started his career in nonprofits, working at United Way Worldwide, one of the world’s largest charities, and Out & Equal, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit. He also worked at Rosenberg, a nonprofit dedicated to racial and economic justice.
Moore founded his gallery on Market Street in 2023 and billed himself as the city’s first black gay male gallerist. The Standard described him as having breathed life into the part of the city’s famous Tenderloin which has become known as the ‘Transgender District’.
He told ARTnews that the gallery was not ‘standard’ and ‘came out of a place of love,’ adding, ‘I did not come from the art world. I cashed out my 401k to start a space for artists of color, queer artists, and women artists. I was and am intentional in wanting to share the space and provide opportunities to artists that are often overlooked.’
‘It is a financial struggle running a gallery. Unfortunately, it often takes a lot of time to receive payment from collectors and institutions—this in turn has a big impact on running the gallery as a business. This impacts artists payments, general overhead (rent, etc), deposits for art fairs and more. I wish we were more transparent in sharing how this all works and how it has a direct effect on everyone involved,’ he continued.
‘I care so much about the arts community and will continue to learn the business and make things right.’
Kevin Poorman, a Chicago-based collector, told the Standard that he paid Moore $8,800 for one of Melancon’s masks, but struggled to contact him after the sale.
He added that Moore asked if they could delay delivery to show the piece at a museum show, but Poorman later learned the exhibition was canceled.
‘I’ve called and emailed on numerous occasions, but no one has picked up. I wrote him a demand letter. It got returned. I’m a lawyer by training, so I did my own brain surgery, yet I was stupid enough to leave him in custody of my artwork,’ Poorman told the Standard.
Adana Tillman also wrote online that Moore had not paid her for the sale of nine of her works, according to the Standard.
Chantal Hildebrand recounted a similar problem, accusing Moore of failing to pay her thousands for her artwork.
She told the Standard that she provided Moore with six works over the past year, including one piece that cost $9,000 for the San Francisco Art Fair.
Adana Tillman also accused Moore of failing to pay her for her work. The two are pictured above together at an event in August
Melancon claimed that he gave 10 of his pieces to Moore, but was never paid his share for his work
Artists including Cydne Jasmin Coleby and Chantal Hildebrand are among those who have voiced their concerns about Moore’s practices
Hildebrand claimed that after the fair, Moore’s communication became inconsistent and she never received invoices for her work.
She later learned from a collector that one of her pieces was discounted without her consent, and a buyer put down a deposit but never received the work.
Cydne Jasmin Coleby, who claimed to the Standard that she is owed $7,000 for one of her pieces, said she believed Moore was ‘somebody who’s promoting, championing, and uplifting artists, but behind the scenes he’s exploiting them.’
She said she met Moore at an art fair in Florida last year, and they agreed on a post-sale payment plan for her work.
Coleby claimed she has no idea where the artwork is, and a representative from her gallery reported it stolen.
‘It’s been really heartbreaking and disappointing, to say the least,’ she said.
April Bey, another artist who worked with Moore, demanded payment for her work in a social media post.
She later told the Standard that she agreed to give him $68,000 worth of artwork, but he eventually returned one piece and paid her for the rest.
The Standard previously called Moore a ‘groundbreaking gallerist,’ adding that he ‘provided a gust of fresh air to the downtown art scene.’
The Observer said he was ‘rewriting the gallery playbook’ while Artsy called his work ‘trailblazing.’
‘How can we make sure that we’re really hearing from them and doing so in a space or a gallery that understands what they’re going through?’ Moore told Artsy in 2024 when asked about his approach to curating art.
April Bey demanded that Moore pay his artists in a since-deleted social media post
‘We Insist Upon Ourselves in Perpetuity, Throughout The Universe’ by April Bey & Kim Dacres is pictured above. Bey accused Moore online of not paying artists, but eventually took the post down
His last exhibition was titled ‘Tender Forms’ and was on display from May 20 to June 20. The show was described as a celebration of ‘artists from the Asian diaspora whose practices explore identity, memory, materiality, and belonging.’
A description of his gallery by Artsy reads ‘Jonathan Carver Moore is a contemporary art gallery that specializes in working with emerging and established artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women.
‘As the only openly gay Black male owned gallery in San Francisco, Jonathan is committed to amplifying the voices of the often underrepresented artists through a Black queer lens. At Jonathan Carver Moore we believe in community and accessibility. Art should be for everyone.’
Since the allegations surfaced, Moore has taken down the gallery webpage, and messages to his email address went undelivered.
In response to the allegations, Moore said in a statement to the Standard: ‘Some of these allegations are inaccurate. I deeply care about the art community, artists, collectors, and supporters. I have every intention of making things right with the artists, but as we know, it can be a financial struggle in running a gallery.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Moore, Demond Melancon, April Bey, Adana Tillman, Chantal Hildebrand and Cydne Jasmin Coleby for comment.
