MF Husains’s works lie in ‘poor’ condition?

Even as the late legendary artist MF Husain’s death in London is being moaned, 42 of his works that form a mural titled ‘Freedom' are lying in poor conditions, according to the recent media reports.

If the news reports are to be believed, the works are all piled sans any proper protection or attention in a storage room near the Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3. Incidentally, about four years ago, the paintings were unmounted. GMR is the private company that runs and maintains the airport.

It has been a tale of improper handling right from the beginning itself. When the new international airport was almost getting ready about three years ago, artist Anjolie Ela Menon did spot certain unprofessional porters or handlers carrying the paintings - as big as 8x10 feet - like any normal cardboard object.

The veteran artist recalled in an interview with Rana Siddiqui Zaman (news report: Piled up at airport, MF Husain's paintings gather dust, The Hindu) : “I saw (them) shifting the paintings with dirty hands and totally uncovered. When I shouted and asked where they were carrying them so carelessly, the reply was, to a ‘safe place'.”

Incidentally, a GMR spokesperson stated that they were still being retained in ‘safe custody.’ The spokesperson added the works have already been sent to an art consultancy firm, artink, for restoration. When the newspaper's reporter inquired, GMR let it check the room (about 13x15 feet located near T3). The paintings lie there piled up, alongside each other with hardly any space between them, wrapped in standard bubble sheets, it was noticed.

Restorer K.K. Gupta had worked on them courtesy artink informed he had given the private operator (GMR) inputs on keeping them ‘safe’. However, a painting, portraying Indira Gandhi’s facial expressions and moods, is stuck to the wall with a bubble sheet. The rest is all open with protection on just one side. Other paintings are also languishing. Meanwhile, GMR, has assured that the works will be on the walls of the T3 by this month end.