The Orlando Museum of Art and the estate of its former director have reached an agreement to drop lawsuits against each other following the 2022 FBI seizure of two dozen forged paintings falsely attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The museum announced on Tuesday that the dismissal of the lawsuits marks the end of all legal disputes between the museum and the estate of its late director. The museum had accused the former director of failing to fulfill his fiduciary duty by promoting the exhibit, while he contended that his termination was unjust.
The museum expressed its hope that this resolution will allow it to move forward with its mission in collaboration with its valued stakeholders.
The controversy stemmed from the museum being the first institution to exhibit over two dozen artworks purportedly discovered in an old storage locker years after Basquiat's passing in 1988.
Concerns regarding the authenticity of the pieces persisted, leading to the FBI's intervention in 2022. Subsequently, former Los Angeles auctioneer Michael Barzman admitted guilt to federal charges of providing false information to the FBI in 2023. Barzman confessed to creating the counterfeit artwork with an accomplice and falsely attributing the paintings to Basquiat.
