LAHORE: A fabulous exhibition of artworks and personal belongings of legendary painter Sadequain opened at the Lahore Museum on Sunday in connection with his 32nd death anniversary.

The retrospective event on the master painter and poet was held at the Lahore Museum after some 32 years, offering a diverse range of artworks by him, besides his personal belongings.

A special “nostalgia corner” set up in the Contemporary Painting Gallery of the museum displayed Sadequain’s Achkan, his shoes, dairy, original ID card, a paint box and other personal articles.

Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi is considered as one of the finest painters and calligraphers Pakistan has ever produced.

The exhibition curated by Uzma Uzmani featured 10 paintings of Ghalib Series by Sadequain, a beautiful painting capturing the beauty of Gaddani, and a series of calligraphic works. Live orchestra that kept playing during the show added to its charm.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Minister for State Zartaj Gul who was flanked by Lahore Museum Director Saman Rai. In her welcome address, Ms Rai welcomed and thanked the audience and the distinguished guests for attending the unique show. She said Sadequain was important not only for the museum but also for the country.

Referring to Sadequain’s magnificent mural that once adorned the museum, the director said restoration work on its panels was under way and it would be installed back at its original place soon.

Minister Ms Zartaj Gul appreciated the museum management for holding the event and said that art and culture should be promoted in the country. Gul was of the view that culture, especially local, should be explored and promoted. She said the PTI government was open to all proposals leading to the promotion of art and culture.

Athar Tahir threw light on the personality of Sadequain and said he was very generous and an extremely good teacher.

Mumtaz Hussain, a visual art conservationist, who had spent a long time with Sadequain said that he was a mystic artist, who never turned commercial. He said Sadequain would gift his artworks for free, adding that such artists could not be found anymore.

National College of Arts Principal Murtaza Jaffri said the exhibition would provide the younger generation interested in visual art a great opportunity to look at the works and personality of Sadequain.

Syed Sultan Ahmed Naqvi, a nephew of Sadequain, told Dawn that he had brought many personal belongings of his uncle from Karachi to put on display here. Mr Naqvi said his personal articles on display included letters, manuscripts, invitation cards, copies of Rubayiat, photographs and books”.

“The younger generation should know about the iconic artist who was an artist of international repute and caliber,” he added.

The exhibition will remain open till March 31st.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2019