Thursday 30 June 2022 12:42 AM Orlando Museum of Art boss is fired after FBI seized disputed Jean-Michel ... trends now
The CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art has been fired days after an FBI raid that seized an exhibit of 25 disputed artworks that were attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Aaron De Groft was removed as director and CEO after the museum's board of trustees met on Tuesday night, following the federal raid on Friday seizing the works in the 'Heroes and Monsters' exhibit.
The board said in a statement that it is 'extremely concerned' about the exhibition of 25 paintings whose authenticity has been challenged, as well as an 'inappropriate' email De Groft sent to an academic art expert.
In the email to the art expert, who had been hired by the owners of the paintings, De Groft urged her to 'shut up' after she expressed qualms about the exhibit and asked that her name not be used in promoting it, according to the FBI.
'We have launched an official process to address these matters, as they are inconsistent with the values of this institution, our business standards, and our standards of conduct,' said board chair Cynthia Brumback in the statement.
Aaron De Groft, CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art, has been fired days after an FBI raid that seized an exhibit of 25 disputed artworks that were attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat
One of the works, titled 'Untitled (Self-Portrait or Crown Face II), pictured, was painted on a FedEx box not used by the company until six years after the painter died of a drug overdose
Jean-Michel Basquiat, who lived and worked in New York City, found success in the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. He died in 1988 at age 27
The statement didn't say if De Groft resigned under pressure or was fired, but museum employees told the New York Times that board meeting had ended with the decision to fire him.
De Groft didn't respond Wednesday to an email message sent via LinkedIn.
If authentic the paintings would be worth around $100 million -- but investigators have raised serious questions about their provenance, citing the fact that one of the works is painted on a FedEx box that was not produced until after Basquiat's death.
Intentionally selling fake art is a federal crime. The owners of the paintings have previously said that they hoped to sell the works, and the Orlando exhibition would have offered a major boost in visibility and credibility.
According to a search warrant, federal art crimes investigators have been looking into the 25 paintings since shortly after their supposed discovery in 2012. The controversy intensified shortly after the Orlando exhibit opened in February.
Basquiat, who lived and worked in New York City, found success in the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.
The Orlando Museum of Art was the first institution to display the pieces, which were said to have been found in an old storage locker years after Basquiat's 1988 death from a drug overdose at age 27.
Entrance to an exhibit by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is seen at the Orlando Museum of Art. The FBI raided the museum on Friday and seized 25 disputed paintings
This 1982 untitled painting allegedly by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is seen on display at the Orlando Museum of Art prior to the raid
The FBI raided a Florida art museum on Friday (above) and seized more than two dozen paintings attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat following questions about their authenticity
The 25 paintings were bought for about $15,000 by William Force, an art and antiques dealer, and Leo Mangan, a retired salesman, according to the Times.
Attorney Pierce O'Donnell later purchased an interest in six of the works and hired several experts to assess whether the paintings were genuine.
One of those experts -- identified at 'Expert-2' by the FBI, but later named in the Times as University of Maryland associate professor Jordana Moore Saggese -- later
