Pradeep Gooptu
Kolkata
Most premium hotels usually acquire works
of art to decorate their walls, but a few hotels have built up an art collection in the
process. The WelcomArt Collection, composed of original art works owned by the ITC Group
of hotels, is therefore, unique.
Shaped by the demands of the 42 properties
owned by ITC, WelcomArt has always been one of the most interactive art collections, says
Ina Puri, the Delhi-based curator for the collection.
"The West View at the Maurya Delhi is
an example. Being a restaurant for Italian cuisine, we have decided to acquire or
commission works of abstract art for it," she says. "Harshvardhan has done some
marvellous paintings for the area," she adds.
To encourage this inter-activity, ITC had
commissioned a project last month. A group of artists from Kolkata had travelled to Delhi
and Jaipur to execute projects and share them with local artisans and craftsmen.
"It went off very well. Holi was a
real inspiration," said Puri.
Artists like Sanjay Bhattacharya, Subrata
Kundoo, M F Hussain, Tyeb Mehta and Anjali Ela Menon are associated with the collection.
One of the most celebrated pieces in the
collection is M F Hussain’s Tryptych on Music. In this painting, the artist has used
the ‘raga’ and fused music and art in a modern recreation of the
‘ragamalas’. ‘Ragamalas’ are paintings which evoke the seasons, time
of day or mood and are inspired by the traditional Indian belief that a true connoisseur
of art cannot truly enjoy only one form unless it is put in context of the other art
forms.
However, WelcomArt is distinct from
ITC’s own corporate art collection as well as the minor art and sculpture collection
that is housed at the Sangeet Research Academy, the performing arts centre.
WelcomArt recently launched an acquisition
and commissioning drive for the launch of its hotels, the Grand Maratha in Mumbai and
Sonar Bangla in Kolkata.
For the Sonar Bangla, which is an opulent
18-acre garden hotel off the city centre, artists will focus on the concept of the Bengali
bagaan-baris or country palaces.
"For the Grand Maratha, more of
post-modern and contemporary art will be acquired," said Puri.
It is largely due to former ITC chairman A
N Haksar and ITC Hotels managing director Habib Rehman’s passion for art that the
collection has grown faster than it can be managed, which is why Puri’s first
responsibility was to take stock of the art collection, restore old pieces, create a
catalogue and a database for guests.