Man admits to helping make, sell fake Basquiat paintings seized from Orlando Museum of Art: FBI

ORLANDO, Fla. - A one-time auctioneer has admitted to federal authorities that he and another man forged paintings that they attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, hailed as the pioneer of American street art of the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. It is alleged that some of the recreations found their way into a 2022 exhibit at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) called Heroes and Monsters.  

Michael Barzman, 45, of North Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the origins of artwork during an interview in 2022, the FBI said in a news release. In the plea agreement, Barzman admitted that he and a second man, identified only as "J.F." hatched a plan to sell the fraudulent artwork.

The FBI seized 25 paintings from the Orlando Museum of Art's exhibit in June of last year as part of its investigation, according to a search warrant.

According to the FBI, Barzman told agents the two created the fake Basquiats in 2012. Back then, Barzman ran an auction business that bought and sold the contents of unpaid storage units.

"J.F. spent a maximum of 30 minutes on each image and as little as five minutes on others, and then gave them to [Barzman] to sell on eBay," according to the plea agreement. "[Barzman] and J.F. agreed to split the money that they made from selling the Fraudulent Paintings. J.F. and [Barzman] created approximately 20-30 artworks by using various art materials to create colorful images on cardboard."

RELATED HEADLINES:

• Former FBI agent says OMA Basquiat paintings seized to protect the public from alleged 'fake' art
• Orlando Museum of Art CEO off the job after FBI raid at Basquiat exhibit

Barzman further admitted to creating a fake paper trail and ownership receipts for the artwork, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), claiming that the art had been found in an unpaid storage unit that a famous screenwriter had once rented.

The works spent the next decade circulating through the art world before making their way to Orlando. "Most of the featured works had, in fact, been created by [Barzman] and J.F.," according to the plea agreement.

In an interview with the FBI in August 2022, agents said Barzman denied making the paintings himself.

"At the time of the interview, [Barzman] knew that he and J.F. had created the paintings and that his statements to the contrary were untruthful," the plea agreement states. "His statement that he did not make the paintings or have someone make them for him were material to the activities and decisions of the FBI and were capable of influencing the agency’s decisions and activities."

In another interview two months later, Barzman admitted that the paintings didn't come from a storage unit, but still denied making the paintings himself. Barzman admitted to the lies in Tuesday's plea agreement, the FBI said.

During an interview with FOX 35 News in June 2022, a retired FBI agent and founder of the FBI Art Crime Team, Robert Wittman, said this particular art had been under their radar for years. "The move to have the exhibit at the [Orlando] museum is what triggered this investigation," he said.

In the same week the FBI raided the museum, OMA announced it replaced its director, Aaron De Groft. The museum also announced new procedures on how to assess future exhibitions.  

According to the website for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), a prominent museum accreditation group that uses standards for museums to help to ensure the integrity of collections, OMA is listed as "on probation."

"The Orlando Museum of Art awaits the investigation's conclusion and hopes it brings justice to all victims," said OMA Board of Trustees Chairperson Mark Elliott, in a statement sent to FOX 35 News.

Elliott added that the museum has "recommitted itself to its mission to provide excellence in the visual arts" through its future exhibitions, collections, and educational programming.

"These actions include supporting employees impacted by the exhibition and investigation, adopting new personnel policies with enhanced whistleblower protections, meeting with many community members and leaders, receiving governance training for the board, and working with the American Alliance of Museums to repair the institution’s standing," the statement read.

Elliot expressed the museum's eagerness in sharing its story regarding the works in question, once the FBI concludes its investigation, and said he hopes the DOJ will "hold those who committed crimes responsible."

Barzman faces charges that are not related to making the artwork, but rather for lying to federal agents, according to the FBI, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. His court date has not been scheduled.

"Mr. Barzman was drowning in medical debt after battling cancer for decades," his attorney Joel Koury said in a statement Tuesday. "In desperation, he participated in this scheme because he was afraid of losing his health insurance. Since then, he has cooperated and done everything asked of him to compensate for his poor judgement." 

Jean-Michel Basquiat was part of the Neo-expressionism and minimal art movement that dominated contemporary art in the 1970s and 1980s.

According to Sotheby's, Neo-expressionist works are characterized "by their intense expressive subjectivity, highly textural applications of paint, vividly contrasting colors and return to large-scale narrative imagery."

Basquiat died at the age of 27 on August 12, 1988.

Orange CountyOrlandoEntertainmentLifestyleCrime and Public Safety