ORLANDO, Fla. – Following a raid by the FBI where investigators seized the Orlando Museum of Art’s Basquiat exhibit, museum officials have announced a change in leadership.
The Basquiat exhibit — titled “Heroes and Monsters” — came under scrutiny after questions arose surrounding the authenticity of the exhibit’s art pieces.
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Despite experts suggesting otherwise, former Orlando Museum of Art Director Aaron De Groft repeatedly insisted that the art was legitimate.
Emilia Bourmas-Fry, the museum’s director of marketing and communications, said the museum’s board of trustees is “extremely concerned” about the issues involving the exhibit, including an “inappropriate” e-mail correspondence sent to academic experts regarding some of the exhibit’s art pieces.
“Effective immediately, Aaron De Groft is no longer Director and CEO of Orlando Museum of Art,” Bourmas-Fry said in a statement. “Joann Walfish, a longtime employee who has served as CFO, has been appointed interim COO and will lead the organization during this transition.”
Bourmas-Fry added that the museum is also making some new decisions regarding upcoming exhibits, which the museum plans to announce at a later date.
No information was released about the referenced e-mail correspondence, nor did the museum address whether the correspondence was related to the change in CEOs.