In 1963, two young sisters, Hajra Zuberi and Rabia Zuberi, after graduating from the Lucknow School of Art, joined their parents in Karachi and set about enlisting in local art activities. They met various artists at the recently established Arts Council and the Pakistan American Cultural Centre where casual art classes were held, however, they were, by and large, disappointed at the lack of art facilities. There were no recognised art institutes in the city at that time and determined to encourage potential artists, they rented a large house in Nazimabad for the family and set aside the largest rooms in the house for art classes.

The classes proved so popular that the Zuberi sisters with the strong support of Mansur Rahi, went on to open the Karachi School of Art (KSA) in Gulshan-i-Iqbal. This initial art venture attracted the attention of senior artists such as Professor Shakir Ali, who chose the name of the school and regularly dropped in to speak to the teachers and students when visiting Karachi.

Sadequain was quite at home there and painted a large mural on one of the walls. Gulgee was another artist who enjoyed viewing the work of the students and the school was known for the dedication of its teachers. From there, artists taught by Mansur Rahi would go out and paint from life, creating Karachi’s first combined art effort with the ‘Watercolour Landscape’ movement that inspired a generation of artists.

An exciting exhibition to mark the golden jubilee of the Karachi School of Art

Karachi, at that time, was the capital of Pakistan and the diplomatic missions and the foreign community were spending their weekends exploring the beauties and historic features of Sindh. They often bought paintings of local artists depicting historic landmarks and the rural areas in various seasons and appreciated the beauty of Karachi’s suburbs.

In time, the KSA provided trained art teachers for Karachi’s prestigious art institutions and many of their graduates were encouraged to continue further studies abroad.

Rabia Zuberi remembers every student with pride. She has numerous interesting anecdotes to relate and remembers the days of curfew in Karachi when students refused to go to their homes for fear of being unable to return and finish their thesis and she provided them food and support while they finished their work.

Now celebrating a golden jubilee of 50 years of the KSA with a most impressive exhibition of artworks consisting of paintings, sculpture, drawings and prints of former students and teachers titled “Roll Call”, one traces the history of art in the city. The exhibition arranged at the VM Art Gallery, Karachi, held the particular interest of the gallery director, Riffat Alvi, who is also the alumni of the KSA.

Alvi arranged the artworks throughout the spacious halls of the VM Gallery, offering a rare experience to view the work of many of the now acclaimed and widely exhibited artists, including the fondly remembered Lubna Agha and Zaheen Ahmed. It was a roll call with numerous distinguished artists, several now showing new and exciting work as well as their signature styles; a great source of pleasure for jaded eyes. It is sincerely hoped that the KSA continue to flourish and encourage a creative cadre in the city.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 2nd, 2014