IN THE FRAME

Orlando Museum of Art Sues Ex-Director Over Alleged Fake Paintings Plot

The works were allegedly exhibited as genuine new discoveries in order to boost their value.

The Orlando Museum of Art filed a lawsuit Monday accusing its former director of attempting to enrich himself in a scheme to pass off forged paintings in an exhibit purportedly showing new works by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The lawsuit claims that Aaron De Groft had been promised by the faked artworks’ owners that he would receive “a significant cut of the proceeds” of the bogus paintings’ eventual sales. De Groft was fired from his role in June 2022, days after an FBI raid at the museum following questions about the paintings’ authenticity being reported in the media. Michael Barzman, a Los Angeles auctioneer, admitted in a plea deal in April this year that he had helped to fake the artworks, with his court documents noting that some of the paintings were cobbled together in just five minutes. De Groft has denied wrongdoing.