Jatin Das painting for Air India reaches open market

NEW DELHI: Even before Air India finds a buyer, its family jewels have reached the open market. Renowned artist Jatin Das realised this when he was contacted by an art gallery for authenticating his work.

When he sought details, the art work in question turned out to be a painting that was commissioned for Air India in the 1990s. Das is now looking for answers on how a 3 feet x 6 feet painting reached the art market when it was part of Air India's collection.

Some evaluators have pegged the value of Air India's total art collection at Rs 350 crore. However, nobody has an account of the number of art works that may have been pilfered over the years. While small compared to the value of the aircraft and other assets of Air India, for collectors the worth of these art works is beyond money .

In a letter written to Air India chairman and managing director Ashwini Lohani, Das has raised these questions and sought details of the collection of six paintings he made for the erstwhile Indian Airlines before it merged with Air India.

Lohani admitted that the inventory documentation of the artwork with the airlines has not been done properly. "The allegations made by Jatin Das are serious in nature. We will be investigating the matter internally and in the next few days will come out with a report," he told Times Now.