Aaron De Groft, the former CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art whose tenure was ultimately defined by a Basquiat forgery scandal, died on January 18 at 59. According to an obituary published on Monday, De Groft died after a brief illness. No further details were provided.
De Groft assumed leadership of the Orlando Museum in 2021, following stints at helm of the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. But his tenure at the Orlando Museum would define his career—especially after the FBI seize a suite of paintings attributed to Jean-Michel Basquiat that were on view at the institution in 2022.
Those paintings were on display in the show “Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat.” An FBI affidavit revealed that De Groft was under investigation for the paintings, which were thought to be forgeries.
De Groft claimed that the paintings were created around 1982 by Basquiat while he lived and worked with dealer Larry Gagosian in Los Angeles. The affidavit, however, offered evidence to the contrary, and in 2023, Los Angeles auctioneer Michael Barzman admitted to making the fake Basquiat paintings.
In the wake of the raid, De Groft was fired and the chairwoman of the Orlando Museum of Art at the time, Cynthia Brumback, departed amid scrutiny over how the exhibition was green-lit, despite FBI queries as early as July 2021.
In August 2023, the museum filed a lawsuit accusing De Groft of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and conspiracy. He subsequently countersued, claiming to have been a scapegoat for the fallout of the raid. He then accused the museum of bringing on a public relations strategy intended to “destroy him.”
At the time of his death, he was seeking financial compensation for wrongful termination, defamation, and breach of contract. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, De Groft said he was “going to war to get my good name back, my professional standing and personal and professional exoneration.”
According to that publication, Orlando Museum of Art director Cathryn Mattson, the museum’s board of directors, and legal counsel are considering options for the suits, both of which are still pending. Florida’s “survival statute” allows a family member to continue a lawsuit after the death of the plaintiff.
De Groft’s obituary does not mention the legal saga. Instead, it notes that, during his tenure in Orlando, he “championed diverse exhibitions, broadened membership, and advocated for improved employee benefits and wages, all while maintaining his focus on the arts as a force for education and community connection.”
ARTnews has contacted the Orlando Museum of Art for comment.
