Late last month, WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum filed suit against interior designer Remi Tessier, whose elite clientele includes billionaire art collectors Larry Ellison and Ken Griffin. In court filings, Koum alleged that Tessier inflated prices and misrepresented the quality and origin of luxury goods purchased on his behalf, including several artworks.
Koum hired Tessier, according to the filing, as lead designer for nine projects, including multiple residences in the US and Europe, as well as two superyachts. Tessier acted as an agent procuring furnishings and art for those projects worth tens of millions of dollars, according to Koum.
In the filing, Koum referenced three unnamed art galleries that he said Tessier facilitated acquisitions from, including a $7.8 million Picasso painting for which Tessier allegedly received a $600,000 kickback; two paintings totaling $6 million with a $637,000 kickback; and a $600,000 painting that Tessier allegedly obtained a discount on but did not pass along to Koum.
Late last week, the Southern District of New York court revealed who the galleries are—though not which transaction corresponded to which: Acquavella Galleries, Nahmad Contemporary, and New York Gallery LLC, which appears to be an entity registered at the same address as Perrotin’s New York gallery. (ARTnews has reached out to Perrotin for comment.)
Koum’s original filing sought discovery—the pretrial process by which legal parties are compelled to reveal relevant documents—of those galleries’ records, invoices, and testimony related to the aforementioned transactions. Koum said he hopes the records will help establish the “true terms of sale” for the works, as well as any undisclosed commissions, discounts, and actual purchase prices. A judge granted the order on Friday.
Interestingly, Koum said the discovery is not for a case in the US but for a criminal complaint he intends to file against Tessier in France, where the designer currently lives.
Koum was careful in his memorandum of law in support of the request for discovery not to suggest any wrongdoing on the part of the galleries.
“Through investigation, Koum has identified these Merchants as those within this District who supplied goods to Tessier for Koum’s projects,” the filing reads. “Koum brings this application on notice to the Merchants. Koum has no reason to suspect these Merchants of any wrongdoing; instead, Koum believes that like himself, the Merchants have been unwillingly—and perhaps unknowingly—drawn into Tessier’s unlawful schemes. Through this Petition, Koum seeks to serve subpoenas on these Merchants to obtain their documentation and testimony—free from Tessier’s influence, obfuscation, and obstruction.”
In the filing, Koum added that his goal was “justice and accountability” and holding Tessier “accountable” for his “deceitful pattern.”
“This has never been about personal gain,” Koum’s attorney, Orin Snyder of Gibson Dunn, told the New York Post. “Jan has pledged to donate any recovery to charity in France. This is about protecting others.”
Discovery was also granted for a number of designer furniture sellers from which Tessier facilitated purchases, including Hudson Furniture, Babou, and B&B Italia.
Acquavella declined to comment. Nahmad Contemporary, New York Gallery LLC, and Remi Tessier could not be reached for comment by press time.
