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Aaron de Groft, Disgraced Former OMA Curator, Dies At 59

January 22, 2025
The outside of the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA)

The Orlando Museum of Art (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user MrX)

Aaron de Groft, the former museum curator at the center of the Orlando Basquiats scandal, died at age 59.

I have written extensively about the scandal of which De Groft was at the center. On June 24, 2022, the FBI raided the Orlando Museum of Art to confiscate twenty-five newly discovered works by the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. OMA decided to fire its curator, De Groft, and eventually sued him because of evidence that he likely knew that the Basquiats were forgeries. The evidence indicates he had made a deal with the paintings’ owners, withholding his authentication unless he got a cut of the profits from any future sale. Though he denied these accusations, there was certainly a pattern of behavior that indicates otherwise. Previously, De Groft served as director of the College of William & Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art. There, he made it a habit of buying inexpensive, unattributed works at auction, then later claiming them as rediscovered works by great masters.

De Groft passed away on January 18th due to an unspecified illness. At the time of his death, he was still in the process of suing OMA for wrongful termination, breach of contract, and defamation. He claimed that his dismissal and the information brought to light were part of a public relations campaign by the museum to save face in the wake of the FBI raid. Florida law allows that should a party to a lawsuit die before its conclusion, a family member of the deceased may decide how to continue. His death also comes shortly after the owners of the Basquiat forgeries had their $19.7 million insurance claim denied. Liberty Mutual Insurance and Great American Insurance have even brought the matter before a court to enforce their decision. They state they rejected the claim because of the owners’ “intentional or negligent misrepresentations” about the works’ authenticity.

De Groft’s obituary does not mention the Basquiat scandal or the curator’s subsequent legal battles. It mentions his work at the Muscarelle Museum, the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida, and describes his time at the Muscarelle Museum as “marked by his visionary leadership”. It further says that at OMA, De Groft “worked tirelessly to expand the museum’s reach and inclusivity. 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.” An OMA representative commented on De Groft’s passing, “Our thoughts are with his family at this time of loss”.

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