Will Air India’s beautiful art collection also go to Tata? here’s what we know

Just before the pandemic in 2020, Air India held a four-day exhibition in Mumbai with 7,000 artifacts and memorabilia.

Air India Art Collection: National carrier Air India has now gone back to the Tata group, under which it was started all those years ago. Airlines have been privatized for a long time, and it has finally happened. But, it has also left many questions in the minds of the people as to what will happen to the various assets of the airlines. One of those assets is Air India’s beautiful art collection. However, this art collection was not part of the deal and, therefore, is likely to remain with the Government of India even after the transfer of power. Here’s why collection is important.

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According to a report in IE, the collection is called ‘Maharaja Collection’ and includes over 4,000 works. The works of art included in the collection are by the likes of MF Hussain, VS Gaitonde, Jatin Das and Anjali Ela Menon. AI offices, calendars, menu cards and posters proudly displayed pieces from this collection, including posters created by cartoonist Mario Miranda and advertisements designed by The New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno. In addition, traditional wooden and bronze artwork, paintings, sculptures and textiles are also part of the vast collection.

There is no official estimate about the value of the collection, and it is notable that the collection expanded with the airline.

The first set of six paintings was purchased from art school graduate B Prabha in 1956 for Rs 87.50, and from then, over the next six decades, the collection was meticulously built. In line with JRD Tata’s philosophy, the collection was expanded with the aim of offering “a little place in India” to the booking offices of the then Tata Airlines.

Air India’s collection was built up as the airline commissioned some operations, and bought some for as little as Rs 50 to Rs 500. However, at times, the airline also altered the paintings to offer flight tickets to artists who wanted to travel abroad. This was also revealed by the late painter MF Hussain, who said that he made four-five foreign trips like this.

Now, however, it has been several years since the works were opened, and some pieces are believed to have been damaged, lost or stolen. Jatin Das learned in 2017 that Flying Apsara, which he built in 1991 and was acquired by the airline, was up for sale in the open market for Rs 25 lakh. This led to a complaint against a former Air India executive for stealing government property. After that, it was reported that the airline started looking for other staff members as well to find out if something similar was being done by them.

Just before the pandemic in 2020, Air India held a four-day exhibition in Mumbai with 7,000 artifacts and memorabilia. The report states that since 2016 serious efforts are being made to produce a comprehensive list of the pieces included in the collection. Currently, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and Culture is planning to shift the collection to Delhi for display in a major museum.