Former curator Virginia Brilliant withdraws lawsuit alleging discrimination against Robilant + Voena gallery
Virginia Brilliant has decided to drop her lawsuit against the gallery Robilant + Voena, along with its founders, Edmondo di Robilant and Marco Voena, which she had filed in December 2024. In her complaint, she alleged that the gallery failed to pay for her cancer treatment and claimed she was owed $57,500 in commissions for an Orsola Caccia painting. Brilliant sought a total of $580,000 in back pay, $200,000 for medical expenses, and over $2 million for issues related to a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and discrimination. Her accusations included racist and homophobic comments from Marco Voena and antisemitic remarks from Edmondo di Robilant. The lawsuit was served during the TEFAF art fair in November 2024. Robilant + Voena expressed their relief over the case's conclusion and extended their best wishes to Brilliant.
Key facts
- Virginia Brilliant withdrew her lawsuit against Robilant + Voena in December 2024.
- The lawsuit alleged racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and misogynistic comments by gallery founders.
- Brilliant claimed the gallery reneged on paying for her cancer treatment.
- She sought $57,500 for an unpaid commission on an Orsola Caccia painting sale.
- The suit demanded $580,000 in back pay and $200,000 for medical bills.
- Additional claims included at least $2 million for hostile workplace and discrimination.
- Robilant + Voena was founded in 2004 and has spaces in London, Milan, Paris, and New York.
- The gallery handled the 2017 sale of a £3.6 million Artemisia Gentileschi self-portrait to the National Gallery in London.
Entities
Artists
- Virginia Brilliant
- Edmondo di Robilant
- Marco Voena
- Orsola Caccia
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Jean-Léon Gérôme
Institutions
- Robilant + Voena
- Daily Beast
- ArtReview
- Mable Ringling Museum of Art
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- The Courtauld Institute of Art
- University of London
- National Gallery
- Frick Collection
- TEFAF
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Sarasota
- Florida
- San Francisco
- California
- London
- United Kingdom
- Milan
- Italy
- Paris
- France