Aaron De Groft: Difference between revisions

Aaron De Groft
Aaron De Groft
Education	Smithfield High School (1984)
Alma mater	College of William & Mary (1998);; University of South Carolina-Columbia (MA);; Florida State University (PhD, 2000)
Occupation(s)	Museum director; author; art curator
Spouse	Kathryn Lee Garner (m. 1991)

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 08:54, 30 June 2022

Aaron Herbert De Groft is an American museum director, author, and art curator. He was the former director for the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, followed by the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida. He was fired from the latter position in June 2022 amid a scandal caused by inauthentic Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings.

Education and career

De Groft attended university at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he majored in history and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1988.^[1]^[2] During that time, took a position at the Muscarelle Museum of Art under then-director Glenn D. Lowry who had him performing manual jobs before moving into more of a research role.^[1] He went on to earn a master's degree in art history and museum studies with a speciality in contemporary American painting at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.^[3] He attended Florida State University, where he studied art history and earned his PhD in 2000 with a dissertation called "John Ringling In Perpetua Memoria: The Legacy and Prestige of Art and Collecting".^[4]^[5] While at FSU, he contributed to the Winterthur Portfolio academic journal, writing an article called "Eloquent Vessels/Poetics of Power", focusing on the pottery of David Drake.^[6]

De Groft stayed in Florida for the early part of his career. He was the director at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art for 11 years, followed by the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, both located in the state.^[7] He worked to save the Ca' d'Zan mansion and oversaw the $15 million conservation and restoration budget for the project, after which he was invited to apply to become director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art, a position which he obtained.^[8] At Muscarelle, he oversaw "the first-ever international loan exhibition of Botticelli's works" in America.^[9] He also arranged for some of Michelangelo's pieces that "almost never tavel" to be shown there in 2013 during the exhibit "Michelangelo: Sacred and Profane; Masterpiece Drawings from the Casa Buonarrotti".^[10] De Grof is largely credited for saving the museum from closing when the budget was substantially slashed in 2002.^[11] After working at Muscarelle for 14 years, he left in December 2018, at which point the museum named an endowment after him called The Aaron De Groft Endowment for Museum Excellence.^[12] He accepted the director's position at the Orlando Museum of Art in February 2021 after Glen Gentele exited the position, where he stayed until being fired in late June 2022.^[7]^[13]

De Graf married Kathryn Lee (née Gardner) at the Ashland Place United Mehodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, on September 28, 1991.^[14] As of 2021, he is married lives in Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida, and enjoys playing gin rummy with Kathryn.^[15] He also enjoys hunting, fishing, and exercising at the gym.^[15]

Painter Franz Kline is one of De Groft's favorite artists.^[1] Sculptures he appreciates are two works by Michelangelo, the first being Pietà, which he called "beyond amazing", and Rondanini Pietà, which he stated makes him cry.^[1]

Bibliography

As author

De Graf, Aaron H. Michelangelo: Anatomy as Architecture, Drawings By the Master. (2010) ISBN 978-0970572547
De Graf, Aaron H. Caravaggio Still Life with Fruit on a Stone Ledge. (2010) ISBN 978-0970572561

As co-author

De Graf, Aaron H.; Weeks, David C. A Pictorial History of John and Mable Ringling. (2003) ISBN 978-0916758493
De Graf, Aaron H.; Weeks, David C. Ca d'Zan - Inside the Ringling Mansion. (2004) ISBN 978-0916758479
De Graf, Aaron H; Eversely, Fred. Fred Eversley: 50 years an artist: Light & space & energy. (2017) ISBN 978-0996804141

Preface only

Woodard, Buck; Moretti-Langholtz, Danielle. Building the Brafferton: The founding, funding, and legacy of America's Indian School. (2019) ISBN 978-0996804158

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Nimetz, Karen. "A Masterpiece in the Making". Orlando Family Magazine. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ Honker, Carmen (February 13, 2018). "Muscarelle Displays Caravaggio-Style Paintings as a Last Exhibition Before Renovations". Flathat News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "Today's Speaker: Dr. Aaron De Groft" (PDF). The Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg. November 24, 2010. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "Aaron DeGroft (PhD 2000)". Florida State University. September 23, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ Brown, Edgar Peters, ed. (2017). Buying Baroque: Italian Seventeenth-Century Paintings Come to America. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0271079448.
^ De Graf, Aaron (Winter 1999). "Eloquent Vessels/Poetics of Power". Winterthur Portfolio. 33 (4). doi:10.1086/496754. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Sutton, Benjamin (June 29, 2022). "Orlando Museum of Art director fired after FBI raids Basquiat exhibition". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ Jones, Chris (May 26, 2017). "Why Williamsburg?". Local Scoop Magazine. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "Spotlight on Alumnus Aaron De Groft, Director of Muscarelle Museum of Art". Florida State University Department of Art History. March 24, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ Levit, Ginger (March 5, 2013). "The Master". Style Weekly. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "W&M art museum rebounds". Richmond Times-Dispatch. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "A Fond Farewell" (PDF). Muscarelle Museum of Art. Winter–Spring 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
^ Palm, Matthew J. (February 9, 2021). "Orlando Museum of Art announces new executive director". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ "Weddings/Engagements". Daily Press. September 28, 1991. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Cardinal, S. T. (April 27, 2021). "CP Interview: OMA's Aaron De Groft's love for art spans from Florence to Florida". The Community Paper. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[education-1] Nimetz, Karen. "A Masterpiece in the Making". Orlando Family Magazine. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[1988_graduation-2] Honker, Carmen (February 13, 2018). "Muscarelle Displays Caravaggio-Style Paintings as a Last Exhibition Before Renovations". Flathat News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[masters-3] "Today's Speaker: Dr. Aaron De Groft" (PDF). The Kiwanis Club of Williamsburg. November 24, 2010. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[FSU-4] "Aaron DeGroft (PhD 2000)". Florida State University. September 23, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[dissertation-5] Brown, Edgar Peters, ed. (2017). Buying Baroque: Italian Seventeenth-Century Paintings Come to America. Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0271079448.

[journal-6] De Graf, Aaron (Winter 1999). "Eloquent Vessels/Poetics of Power". Winterthur Portfolio. 33 (4). doi:10.1086/496754. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[TAN_-_6-29-7] Sutton, Benjamin (June 29, 2022). "Orlando Museum of Art director fired after FBI raids Basquiat exhibition". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[grant_funding-8] Jones, Chris (May 26, 2017). "Why Williamsburg?". Local Scoop Magazine. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[first_ever-9] "Spotlight on Alumnus Aaron De Groft, Director of Muscarelle Museum of Art". Florida State University Department of Art History. March 24, 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[Michelangelo_show-10] Levit, Ginger (March 5, 2013). "The Master". Style Weekly. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[saving_museum-11] "W&M art museum rebounds". Richmond Times-Dispatch. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[endowment-12] "A Fond Farewell" (PDF). Muscarelle Museum of Art. Winter–Spring 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

[2021_director-13] Palm, Matthew J. (February 9, 2021). "Orlando Museum of Art announces new executive director". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[father_and_marriage-14] "Weddings/Engagements". Daily Press. September 28, 1991. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[CP_interview-15] Cardinal, S. T. (April 27, 2021). "CP Interview: OMA's Aaron De Groft's love for art spans from Florence to Florida". The Community Paper. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 De Groft stayed in Florida for the early part of his career. He was the director at the [[John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art]] for 11 years, followed by the [[Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens]], both located in the state.<ref name="TAN - 6-29">{{cite news |last1=Sutton |first1=Benjamin |title=Orlando Museum of Art director fired after FBI raids Basquiat exhibition |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/06/29/orlando-museum-art-basquiat-fbi-aaron-de-groft |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=The Art Newspaper |date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630034613/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/06/29/orlando-museum-art-basquiat-fbi-aaron-de-groft |url-status=live }}</ref> He worked to save the [[Ca' d'Zan]] mansion and oversaw the $15 million conservation and restoration budget for the project, after which he was invited to apply to become director of the Muscarelle Museum of Art, a position which he obtained.<ref name="grant funding">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Chris |title=Why Williamsburg? |url=https://www.localscoopmagazine.com/life/why-williamsburg/ |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Local Scoop Magazine |date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119212000/https://www.localscoopmagazine.com/life/why-williamsburg/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At Muscarelle, he oversaw "the first-ever international loan exhibition of [[Sandro Botticelli|Botticelli]]'s works" in America.<ref name="first ever">{{cite news |title=Spotlight on Alumnus Aaron De Groft, Director of Muscarelle Museum of Art |url=https://arthistory.fsu.edu/spotlight-degroft/ |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Florida State University Department of Art History |date=March 24, 2017 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019155413/https://arthistory.fsu.edu/spotlight-degroft/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He also arranged for some of [[Michelangelo]]'s pieces that "almost never tavel" to be shown there in 2013 during the exhibit "Michelangelo: Sacred and Profane; Masterpiece Drawings from the Casa Buonarrotti".<ref name="Michelangelo show">{{cite news |last1=Levit |first1=Ginger |title=The Master |url=https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-master/Content?oid=1835528 |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Style Weekly |date=March 5, 2013 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181318/https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-master/Content?oid=1835528 |url-status=live }}</ref> De Grof is largely credited for saving the museum from closing when the budget was substantially slashed in 2002.<ref name="saving museum">{{cite news |title=W&M art museum rebounds |url=https://richmond.com/entertainment/w-m-art-museum-rebounds/article_e89c38c1-21b0-52f9-9767-1bdca788db22.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch |date=February 10, 2018 |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630034614/https://richmond.com/entertainment/w-m-art-museum-rebounds/article_e89c38c1-21b0-52f9-9767-1bdca788db22.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After working at Muscarelle for 14 years, he left in December 2018, at which point the museum named an endowment after him called The Aaron De Groft Endowment for Museum Excellence.<ref name="endowment">{{cite journal |title=A Fond Farewell |journal=Muscarelle Museum of Art |date=Winter-Spring 2019 |url=https://muscarelle.wm.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2019_Winter-Spring_lowres.pdf |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212082055/https://muscarelle.wm.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2019_Winter-Spring_lowres.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> He accepted the director's position at the Orlando Museum of Art in February 2021 after Glen Gentele exited the position, where he stayed until being fired in late June 2022.<ref name="TAN - 6-29" /><ref name="2021 director">{{cite news |last1=Palm |first1=Matthew J. |title=Orlando Museum of Art announces new executive director |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-et-orlando-museum-of-art-executive-director-aaron-de-groft-20210209-obz7coaydbat3n5ync4qmefyrm-story.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |date=February 9, 2021 |archive-date=May 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511120856/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-et-orlando-museum-of-art-executive-director-aaron-de-groft-20210209-obz7coaydbat3n5ync4qmefyrm-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
-He has authored two books and co-authored three more, subjects of which include the [[Ca' d'Zan]],<ref name="book with Weeks 1">{{cite book |last1=De Groft |first1=Aaron H. |last2=Weeks |first2=David C. |title=Ca d'Zan - Inside the Ringling Mansion |date=January 1, 2004 |publisher=John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art |isbn=978-0916758479}}</ref> [[John Ringling|John]] and Mable Ringling,<ref name="book with weeks 2">{{cite book |last1=De Groft |first1=Aaron H. |last2=Weeks |first2=David C. |title=A Pictorial History of John and Mable Ringling |date=January 1, 2003 |isbn=978-0916758493}}</ref> Michelangelo,<ref name="Muscarelle Museum of Art  book">{{cite book |last1=De Groft |first1=Aaron H. |title=Michelangelo: Anatomy as Architecture, Drawings By the Master |date=January 1, 2010 |publisher=Muscarelle Museum of Art |isbn=978-0970572547}}</ref> [[Caravaggio]],<ref name="caravaggio book">{{cite book |last1=De Groft |first1=Aaron H. |title=Caravaggio Still Life with Fruit on a Stone Ledge Paperback – |date=January 1, 2010 |publisher=Muscarelle Museum of Art |isbn=978-0970572561}}</ref> and [[Fred Eversley]] (with Eversley).<ref name="eversley book">{{cite book |last1=Eversley |first1=Fred |last2=De Groft |first2=Aaron H. |title=Fred Eversley: 50 years an artist: Light & space & energy. |date=January 1, 2017 |publisher=Muscarelle Museum of Art, The College of William & Mary |isbn=978-0996804141}}</ref> In October 2021, he was named one of Orlando's 50 most powerful people in the entertainment, sports, and the arts, coming in at number four.<ref name="best 50">{{cite news |last1=McLeod |first1=Michael |last2=Tracy |first2=Dan |last3=Letakis |first3=Patricia |title=Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful People of 2021: Entertainment, Sports, & The Arts |url=https://www.orlandomagazine.com/orlandos-50-most-powerful-people-of-2021-entertainment-sports-the-arts/ |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Orlando Magazine |date=October 1, 2021 |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123093246/https://www.orlandomagazine.com/orlandos-50-most-powerful-people-of-2021-entertainment-sports-the-arts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He wrote the preface for ''Building the Brafferton: The founding, funding, and legacy of America's Indian School''.<ref name="preface">{{cite book |last1=Woodard |first1=Buck |last2=Moretti-Langholtz |first2=Danielle |title=Building the Brafferton: The founding, funding, and legacy of America's Indian School |date=2019 |publisher=Muscarelle Museum of Art |isbn=978-0996804158}}</ref>
-===Basquiat paintings scandal===
-At the Orlando Museum of Art, De Groft was in charge of a 2022 exhibition of [[Jean-Michel Basquiat]] paintings in a show called "Heroes & Monsters". The 25 Basquait paintings were reportedly recovered from a storage unit in Los Angeles, California, in 2012. The paintings had never been seen before and, if real, have been estimated to be worth over $100 million dollars.<ref name="Orlando Sentinel">{{cite news |last1=Simmons |first1=Roger |last2=Palm |first2=Matthew J. |title=Orlando Museum of Art director out after FBI’s Basquiat raid |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-orlando-museum-aaron-degroft--20220629-ngbxfejtvnhzxnn2o2zpcquhzi-story.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |date=June 29, 2022 |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629054754/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-orlando-museum-aaron-degroft--20220629-ngbxfejtvnhzxnn2o2zpcquhzi-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2022, the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' raised questions about the authenticity and [[provenance]] of the paintings.<ref name="TNYT">{{cite news |title=In Orlando, 25 Mysterious Basquiats Come Under the Magnifying Glass |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/arts/design/basquiat-painting-orlando-mumford-museum.html |publisher=The New York Times |date=February 2022 |access-date=2022-06-30 |archive-date=2022-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630034620/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/arts/design/basquiat-painting-orlando-mumford-museum.html |url-status=live }}</ref> De Graft commissioned art historian and academic Jordana Moore Saggese to authenticate the paintings for $60,000; she subsequently tried to distance herself from the report and asked her name be removed from the exhibition.<ref name="TAN - 6-29" /> De Groft emailed her, writing, "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. Do your academic thing and stay in your limited lane."<ref name="TAN - 6-29" /> The FBI raided the museum on June 24, and on June 28 the board fired De Groft for the email correspondence and the fake paintings.<ref name="TAN - 6-29" />
-==Personal life==
 De Graf married Kathryn Lee (née Gardner) at the Ashland Place United Mehodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, on September 28, 1991.<ref name="father and marriage">{{cite news |date=September 28, 1991 |title=Weddings/Engagements |publisher=Daily Press |url=https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19910929-1991-09-29-9110030003-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630034605/https://www.dailypress.com/ |archive-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> As of 2021, he is married lives in Baldwin Park, Orlando, Florida, and enjoys playing [[gin rummy]] with Kathryn.<ref name="CP interview">{{cite news |last1=Cardinal |first1=S. T. |date=April 27, 2021 |title=CP Interview: OMA’s Aaron De Groft’s love for art spans from Florence to Florida |publisher=The Community Paper |url=https://www.yourcommunitypaper.com/articles/omas-aaron-de-grofts-love-for-art-spans-from-florence-to-florida/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630034612/https://www.yourcommunitypaper.com/articles/omas-aaron-de-grofts-love-for-art-spans-from-florence-to-florida/ |archive-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> He also enjoys hunting, fishing, and exercising at the gym.<ref name="CP interview" />

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	United States Netherlands Vatican
Other	IdRef