Florida museum chief tried to make millions from exhibition of fake Basquiat art, lawsuit claims

Aaron De Groft hoped to pocket commissions from auction of the works at show he arranged that was revealed to be a scam

Trustees of a Florida art gallery are suing its former director, claiming he conspired to cash in on the exhibition and sale of fake paintings purportedly by the neo-expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Aaron De Groft hoped to pocket tens of millions of dollars in commissions from auction of the works after legitimizing" them during a 2022 show he arranged at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA), according to the lawsuit filed in central Florida on Monday and reported by the New York Times.