NGMA to showcase 200 artworks from iconic Air India collection to celebrate Indian art and culture

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) here will showcase around 200 works of art from the famed Air India collection, including creations of MF Husain, VS Gaitonde, B Prabha, KH Ara and GR Santosh.

The show is slated to be inaugurated by Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy on April 27.

The art collection on show has been put together by Air India over the period of 80 years to showcase and celebrate Indian art and culture.

The "Maharaja’s Treasure" exhibition begins with a glimpse of few iconic works from the collection by masters such as NS Bendre, Manu Parekh, Anjolie Ela Menon and B Vithal, among others.

The famous ashtray designed by surrealist Salvadore Dali highlights the section. The ashtray is in the form of a sea shell with a serpent coiled around its rim and supported by elephant heads which on reverse becomes swans.

The exhibition also showcases various portrayals of women and their contributions to life and society, including Arpana Caur’s canvas titled, ‘Women Hold up Half the Sky’, which depicts a woman with a blue crescent moon on her head.

Working women also make for central themes in Shanti Dave, B Prabha and AA Raiba's paintings.

Also part of the exhibition, Anjolie Ela Menon's windopane paintings -- 'Nawab With Pigeon' and 'Lady with Kite' -- depict women's struggle of breaking away from the patriarchy that holds them back.

“It gives me immense pleasure to launch the first exhibition on the Air India collection here at NGMA. This is the first of the many to celebrate the iconic collection which was a pioneer in promoting our heritage across the globe. The exhibition consists of a thematic display of around 200 meticulously chosen artworks that brings to you a portion of the collection that Air India used to redefine the air travel in its own ‘maharaja’ style,” said Nazneen Banu, director - NGMA.

The exhibition will also feature works by Achuthan Kudallur, Laxman Shrestha, SG Vasudev, and Serbjeet Singh.

The entire Air India collection of around 4,000 paintings and sculptures was handed over to the NGMA earlier this year for preservation and public display.

The show will conclude on July 2.