P&O history in artefacts

Corporate art collections can provide a splash of colour in otherwise drab offices and can even be tools for corporate promotion.

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Coca-Cola, JPMorgan and Microsoft are among the big names holding collections.

But while many corporate art collections have become an important part of business life, some have gone the way of their troubled owners. Lehman Brothers' paintings and other art finally fetched US$12.3 million (Dh45.17m) at auction in September last year, two years after the US company's demise.

Other collections have been sold to generate cash after takeovers. When DP World bought the UK shipping company P&O in 2006, it acquired millions of pounds worth of artefacts. Instead of selling off the 25,000 items, the world's third-largest port operator has preserved the collection.

"We have been exceptionally lucky with DP World," says Susie Cox, the curator of the P&O Heritage Collection. "They've really embraced our heritage, which is really wonderful.

"I've seen many corporate collections disappear overnight under new owners as they are liquidated. But DP World has been extremely supportive, as they see the value in it as an organisation."

Since the takeover, a collection of historical photographs has been digitally catalogued. A website has also been launched to celebrate P&O's heritage.

The vast collection includes a silver Egyptian clock, a gift from the North African country's government after P&O gave it a loan, and a Victoria Cross medal, awarded to a British merchant marine lieutenant during the First World War. The collection opens a window into P&O's maritime past.

A ship's bell dating from 1853, merchant railway plaques, Indian silver pots and miniature ship models are other gems in the collection.

The artefacts hark back to an era when P&O ruled the waves as the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, the world's largest shipping company. Much of the collection adorns the central London offices of DP World - pictures of the founders of P&O hang outside the boardroom and memorabilia is displayed in the reception area.

Next March, parts of the collection will be exhibited in Dubai and India for the first time to celebrate P&O's 175th anniversary. Only a limited number of the pieces, such as ship models, are displayed permanently in DP World's headquarters in Jebel Ali, Dubai.

"We are able to learn from the heritage and be inspired by it," says Ms Cox. "We have waited for the right time to display the collection in Dubai, and the 175th anniversary is the perfect opportunity."

Four books will also be produced next year commemorating P&O's anniversary, two of which DP World is involved in. The other two books are being released by P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries, divisions of P&O. DP World owns both brands, but they are operated separately under licence from the ports company. DP World operates only the ports division of P&O.

"As a port operator, you are the unseen workhorse, and people do not engage with you directly every day as they might with P&O Cruises and P&O Ferries," says Ms Cox. "Part of our challenge is to ensure people understand the differences between all the brands and get their facts right about the P&O story."

tarnold@thenational.ae