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The Orlando Museum of Art was put on probation by the US Museums Group following the Basquiat forgery incident. The museum may find it more difficult to do things like borrow artwork from other institutions if it loses the accreditation it has held since 1971 from the American Alliance of Museums.

In June of last year, agents from the FBI stormed the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida. All 25 paintings from the exhibition Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Thaddeus Mumford, Jr. Venice Collection were stolen due to suspicions that they were forgeries. The exhibition was effectively closed by the raid, and now comes word that the museum's accreditation is in jeopardy after the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), of which it has been a member since 1971, placed it on probation.

Aaron De Groft, the museum's director and CEO in Orlando, was dismissed by the board of trustees not long after the raid. Cynthia Brumback, the board chairwoman, was also removed from her position in December. The Basquiat debacle, which brought shame to the institution and prompted many to question its methods, appears to be the root cause of all of this.

According to an AAM spokesman, "the museum's particular compliance difficulties," as determined by the organization's accreditation commission, determine how long a museum will be on probation. Probationary status is rarely given to a member institution. The representative claims that at any given time, less than one percent of licensed museums are on probation. What a museum needs to show this commission to come off probation "depends on the situation."

Concerns regarding the legitimacy of the 25 artworks initially surfaced when the public learned of their existence in 2012, when the museum first announced its intention to display them. Although Basquiat's paintings on cardboard reflect his style, the material didn't gain widespread use until after he passed away at age 27 (in 1994). TV writer Thad Mumford paid $5,000 for a storage facility in which he kept twenty-five paintings he said were created in 1982. The artworks were discovered again in 2012 after Mumford failed to pay the locker's rent and were distributed among other buyers. The Orlando museum now has these items on loan.

The FBI was investigating the origins of these pieces since it is against the law to knowingly sell forgeries. The agency had contacted the museum inquiring about these paintings, but the museum had not responded. The museum then spent $60,000 to have University of Maryland associate professor and Basquiat expert Jordana Moore Saggese determine if the paintings were indeed created by Basquiat. Saggese initially assured the museum personnel that some of the paintings were by Basquiat, but she then recanted and declared she no longer wanted her name associated with the exhibit. An FBI document suggests that De Groft, the museum's director, took offense to her request. In a threatening email to her, he wrote, "Do you want us to imply that you were paid $60,000. Alright then. In other words, be quiet. You made off with some serious cash. Don't try to be holier than you are."

Having trouble borrowing from other museums? That could be because your institution lost its accreditation. This is, however, highly implausible given the dismissal of the two highest-ranking museum employees in Orlando at the time of the Basquiat disaster.

Since the AAM does not conduct its own investigations, it must rely on the findings of the FBI and the promises of the incoming museum administration in Orlando to rectify the situation. We are working with the AAM to remove our probationary status, and we anticipate to remain in good standing," said Mark Elliott, the museum's new board chair, in a statement.

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