The FBI’s Art Crime Team is investigating the authenticity of 25 Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings on display at the Orlando Museum of Art, according to a federal subpoena and sources who spoke to TheNew York Times. The paintings’ owners and museum’s director and chief executive, Aaron De Groft, insist they are genuine. They cite statements from art experts commissioned by the three owners, all of whom have criminal records. De Groft and the owners allege that Basquiat painted the works on slabs of cardboard and sold them to a late screenwriter, who put them in a storage unit. When the unit’s contents were seized in 2012, the current owners bought the canvases and claim to have celebrated over lunch, at which the original owner gave them a typed poem commemorating the initial purchase from Basquiat. An investigation by TheNew York Times, however, questioned the works, as a designer who previously worked for FedEx said the typeface on one canvas was not designed until 1994, six years after Basquiat’s death. Skeptics argue that the paintings’ backstory is unlikely, as friends of the original owner say he never typed and displayed no interest in contemporary art. If authentic, the paintings are worth about $100 million, according to Putnam Fine Art and Antique Appraisals. While the precise target of the FBI’s investigation is unclear, the sale of art known to be fraudulent is a federal crime.
