ORLANDO, Fla. — The story behind 25 Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings that were, until recently, on display at the Orlando Museum of Art, involves a famous TV producer, 30 years of mystery and simple made-for-the-movies luck.

Unfortunately, though, investigators with the FBI say that almost every part of it is complete fiction.

That is why artwork in the "Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat, The Thaddeus Mumford, Jr. Venice Collection" exhibit was removed from the museum Friday during an FBI raid — a development that left OMA director Aaron De Groft without a job.

As the story goes, the original owner of the artwork was famed TV writer and producer Thaddeus Q. Mumford, Jr., whose credits include M*A*S*H, A Different World, The Electric Company, Alf, The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, Maude, Judging Amy, and numerous others.

According to an FBI search warrant submitted in the case, information included in a catalog listing for the “Basquiat Venice Collection,” said that in late 1982 and early 1983, Mumford and the artist “spent a lot of time together in the evening while Jean-Michel painted.”

Knowing Basquiat needed money at the time, Mumford agreed to purchase artwork for $5,000, the catalog listing said.

Instead of hanging the 26 paintings he received in the deal, Mumford put them into storage and “for the next three decades, Thaddeus did not pay attention to the contents of his storage locker No. 2125.”

“At some point a few years ago, while enduring hard times, he stopped paying the rent on the locker and was in arrears,” the listing continued. “The storage facility then sold the contents, including all 26 Basquiat paintings, to an auction company that sold all 26 of them to the current owner in 2012.”

While the storage unit reportedly contained 26 paintings by Basquiat, only 25 were part of the recent OMA exhibit and the affidavit did not specify why the 26th was not included.

Facts Dispute Fiction

At this point in the story, FBI Special Agent Elizabeth Rivas — who wrote the search warrant affidavit and has been investigating pieces in the collection since 2013 — says there are already several problems. 

Mainly, she says that Mumford himself told her in 2014 that he had “never purchased Basquiat artwork and was unaware of any Basquiat artwork being in his storage locker.”

An affidavit signed by Mumford in 2017 addressed the situation with the paintings bluntly, stating:

“At no time in the 1980s or at any other time did I meet with Jean-Michel Basquiat, and at no time did I acquire or purchase any paintings by him. Furthermore, at no time did I store any Basquiat paintings at (the storage facility) or anywhere else.”

Issues with the Storage Unit

Another hitch in the story comes from the storage company in question, Ortiz Bros. Moving & Storage in Los Angeles, Calif.

While an employee confirmed that Mumford did own three storage units at the facility, they said there is no way he could have been renting locker No. 2125, because it didn’t exist.

“… There never was a storage locker bearing number 2125 at the storage facility used by Mumford,” the affidavit said.

Also, according to the man who purchased the storage unit’s contents, he “did not believe any of the artwork was authentic and had sold it for about $100 a piece.”

Experts Weigh In

Considering that several years ago one of Basquait’s paintings from 1982 sold for $110.5 million at auction, those prices would have been quite a deal, if the artwork was real.

According to an archived copy of the exhibition description on the OMA website (the original posting has since been deleted), Basquiat is today “regarded as one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th Century.”

The owners of the paintings have put forth the opinions of several experts who found that the paintings were authentic works by Basquiat. At least one of them, though, told investigators that her report on the paintings was based mainly on the allegedly false provenance provided by the owners.

The expert, as an art professor at an unnamed school, was paid $60,000 for her report on six pieces in the collection, which she ultimately deemed “consistent with the hand of Jean-Michel Basquiat and may be attributed to him.”

She told agents that she did not intend for her report to be used publicly, and when it was as part of the OMA exhibit, she wrote an email on Feb. 11 to the museum’s director (who is identified as A.G. in the affidavit) and one of the paintings’ owners, which said:

“It has come to my attention that my name has been used in association with the works in your exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art. However, as I stated before I am in no way authorized to authenticate unknown works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and want no involvement with this show. I do not want to be further associated with any promotion of these works for financial gain or otherwise. Any use or continued use of my name in association with these works will be considered defamatory and I reserve the right to pursue punitive damages if this continues.”

According to the affidavit, “A.G. (OMA’s Director)” responded with a threatening email that said:

“You want us to put out there you got $60 grand to write this? Ok then. Shut up. You took the money. Stop being holier than thou. You did this not me or anybody else. Think (your employer) would like to know? Be quiet now is my best advice. These are real and legit. You know this. You are threatening the wrong people. Do your academic thing and stay in your limited lane.”

The Font is Wrong

Along with citing at least two Basquiat experts who said they did not believe the paintings were authentic, the affidavit made one last point to back up that assertion.

Except for a single piece painted on wood, all of the works in the OMA exhibition were done on cardboard — purportedly cut up by the artist and Mumford one night to save his cloth canvas, according to a catalog listing about the paintings. 

One of the pieces of cardboard came from a box with a FedEx stamp on the back, and the person who redesigned the company’s logo and branding in the early 1990s said “the font and color scheme present on the stamp were not in use by FedEx until the redesign in 1993.”

Concluding the affidavit, the reporting FBI agent said she believed there was enough evidence of conspiracy and wire fraud to authorize the warrant to search the OMA premises, which resulted in Friday’s raid and seizure of the artwork in question. 

No arrests were reported in connection with the raid. 

OMA Responds

Following Friday's raid and De Groft's Tuesday removal, the Orlando Museum of Art Board Chair Cynthia Brumback released the following statement:

The Orlando Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees is extremely concerned about several issues with regard to the Heroes and Monsters exhibition, including the recent revelation of an inappropriate e-mail correspondence sent to academia concerning the authentication of some of the artwork in the exhibition.

We have launched an official process to address these matters, as they are inconsistent with the values of this institution, our business standards, and our standards of conduct.

Effective immediately, Aaron De Groft is no longer director and CEO of Orlando Museum of Art. Joann Walfish, a longtime employee who has served as CFO, has been appointed interim COO and will lead the organization during this transition.

Additionally, we are making some new decisions with regard to upcoming exhibitions and will announce those plans at a later time.

We appreciate the support of our staff, volunteers, donors, sponsors, friends, partners and guests and want to assure them that this institution remains fully committed to the mission, values and standards of conduct and practice Orlando Museum of Art has been built upon in its almost 100-year history.

FBI Art Museum Search Warrant