On June 3 , 1962 , 106 Atlanta arts patrons died in an airplane crash at Orly Airport in Paris , France , while on a museum-sponsored trip . Including crew and other passengers , 130 people were killed in what was , at the time , the worst single plane aviation disaster in history . Members of Atlanta 's prominent families were lost including members of the Berry family who founded Berry College . During their visit to Paris , the Atlanta arts patrons had seen '' Whistler 's Mother '' at the Louvre . In the fall of 1962 , the Louvre , as a gesture of good will to the people of Atlanta , sent '' Whistler 's Mother '' to Atlanta to be exhibited at the Atlanta Art Association museum on Peachtree Street
airplane crash
Air France Flight 007
High Museum of Art