Jamil Naqsh (), (25 December 1939 – 16 May 2019) was a

British Pakistani British Pakistanis (; also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are Britons or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in the UK who are of Pakistani descent, Pakis ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

who lived a reclusive life in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 2012 until his death. He briefly studied at

National College of Arts The National College of Arts (colloquially known as NCA) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Overview The National College of Arts – Federally Chartered Institute, is the oldest art school in Pakistan and the second ...

but left before obtaining a degree. His work has been described as idealized and sensual.'Memories of Doves and Pigeons', Profile, awards and paintings of Jamil Naqsh on albemarlegallery.com website
Retrieved 31 August 2017
Retrieved 17 May 2019

Life

Jamil Naqsh was born in

Kairana Kairana () is a city and a municipal board in Shamli district of the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is approximately from Shamli, Shamli city. Demographics As of 2011 Indian Census, Kairana had a total popu ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1939, and later moved to

Karachi, Pakistan Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

during the partition . In his early teens, he had the experience of travelling alone through

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

and

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. He learned a lot about life during that harsh journey. He also gained a great respect for the art traditions of the past while travelling. This journey's impressions later influenced his thinking and work. Naqsh trained as a miniaturist under former

professor Ustaad Haji Sharif in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

beginning in 1953. He left the National College of Arts without completing his degree as he felt it was the experience not the qualification that was important. He left Pakistan in 2012 and settled in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. On 7 May 2019, due to pneumonia, Naqsh was admitted to St Mary’s Hospital in London, where he died nine days later at the age of 79.

Work

Naqsh mostly painted

pigeons Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

. He also painted women, often integrating them with the elements of horses, pigeons or children. He grew up seeing pigeons flutter around in his courtyard; thus, much of his work included drawings of pigeons.Jamil Naqsh: A treat for art lovers
''The Express Tribune'' (newspaper), Published 14 May 2012, Retrieved 17 May 2019 He set up his Karachi studio in a rooftop garden where pigeons were allowed to move around freely and were welcomed as visitors. Naqsh was influenced by the works of Indian, Pakistani and European masters, including

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

and

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( ; ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

. In June 2012, an untitled piece by Naqsh was sold for about PKR 6.3 million at

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...

Art exhibits

Some of his exhibits are listed below: * Solo exhibit at Lahore Arts Council and Karachi Arts Council (1962) * 150 paintings and drawings of female forms with horses were exhibited (1998) * ''Jamil Naqsh: A Retrospective'',

Mohatta Palace The Mohatta Palace () is a museum located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Designed by Ahmed Hussain Agha, the palace was built in 1927 in the posh seaside locale of Clifton as the summer home of Shivratan Mohatta, a Hindu Marwari businessman from ...

, Karachi, Pakistan (2003) * Solo exhibit at Studio Glass Art Gallery, London (2005) * Solo exhibit at Albemarle Gallery in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

(2011)Pakistan's top contemporary artist holds solo show in London
Dawn (newspaper), Published 27 July 2011, Retrieved 17 May 2019 * Art exhibit in

included 23 canvases and 16 graphite drawings (2012) * "Mohenjo Daro" Albemarle Gallery, London (2018) * ''Fisher Woman of My Mohenjo-daro'' at Jamil Naqsh Museum in Karachi, Pakistan (2018) Naqsh also painted

Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of penmanship and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the Arabic script#Additional letters used in other languages, alphabets derived from it. It is a highly stylized and struc ...

in his modern style with unique and bold brush strokes. His calligraphic style maintained the basic elements of art, with special emphasis on 'line'. Since 1996, the Jamil Naqsh Foundation and Museum have been run by his family members in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, Pakistan. In December 2017, the Jamil Naqsh Museum was inaugurated by Aitzaz Ahsan in

Defence Housing Authority, Karachi The Pakistan Defense Officers Housing Authority (PDOHA), Karachi (), formerly Pakistan Defense Officers Cooperative Housing Society, is a residential neighbourhood or a housing society located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi. The total p ...

Awards and recognition

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

(Star of Excellence) Award in 2009, from

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari (born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician serving as the 14th president of Pakistan since 2024, having held the same office from 2008 to 2013. He is the president of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians and was the ...

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award in 1989, from President

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan (20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), commonly known by his initials GIK, was a Pakistani bureaucrat, politician and statesman who served as the seventh President of Pakistan from 1988 to 1993. He previously served as Chairm ...

References

External links

Artist biography and works from exhibition in London viewable online

Jamil Naqsh graphite drawing on cliftonartgallery.com website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naqsh, Jamil 1939 births 2019 deaths National College of Arts alumni Pakistani painters Muhajir people Artists from Karachi Recipients of the Pride of Performance Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Pakistani artists