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Eden Fine Art Sues Collector Jacob Shochat for $822,390 in Unpaid Artwork Invoices

market-auction · 2026-08-13

Eden Fine Art, a New York-based gallery established in 1997 by Cathia Klimovsky, has initiated legal action in New Jersey against collector Jacob Shochat for violating a contract due to unpaid bills amounting to $822,390. Since 2018, Shochat, who has a background in medical technologies, has acquired artworks totaling $900,000. The gallery, which spans over 100,000 square feet worldwide and represents around thirty-six artists, asserts it cannot sustain such financial losses and is pursuing the outstanding balance along with interest and fees. Attempts to contact Shochat for a response were unsuccessful. Additionally, Eden is facing a lawsuit from Tekla Balfour-Browne concerning an unsuccessful NFT venture, where Balfour-Browne spent over $17,000 on NFTs.

Key facts

  • Eden Fine Art filed a lawsuit against collector Jacob Shochat in New Jersey district court.
  • The lawsuit claims Shochat owes $822,390 for artworks purchased from the gallery.
  • Eden began taking orders from Shochat in 2018 for $900,000 worth of artworks and sculptures.
  • The gallery delivered pieces based on Shochat's past payment history, sometimes personally to his home in Mahwah, N.J.
  • Eden is a small, family-owned gallery founded in 1997 by Cathia Klimovsky.
  • Eden has gallery spaces in New York, Dubai, Aspen, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Maldives.
  • Eden represents artists including Marco Battaglini, Alec Monopoly, and Cecile Plaisance.
  • Eden showed paintings by actor Adrien Brody last year, which received mixed reviews.
  • Eden is also facing a lawsuit from Tekla Balfour-Browne over Meta Eagle Club NFTs.
  • Balfour-Browne and others bought over $13 million worth of Meta Eagle Club NFTs.

Entities

Artists

  • Jacob Shochat
  • Cathia Klimovsky
  • Marco Battaglini
  • Alec Monopoly
  • Cecile Plaisance
  • Adrien Brody
  • Gal Yosef
  • Tekla Balfour-Browne
  • Claire Bishop
  • Alex Greenberger

Institutions

  • Eden Fine Art
  • ARTnews
  • The New York Times
  • Cultured
  • Interview
  • Morrison Cohen
  • Meta Eagle Club

Locations

  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Mahwah
  • Dubai
  • Aspen
  • Las Vegas
  • Miami
  • Maldives
  • London

Sources