Ahmed Parvez ( ur, ) (1926 – 1979) was a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

from

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. He was a member of The Lahore Group in Pakistan and founder of the Pakistan Group in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was also among the few early

modernists Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

of Pakistani origin to have garnered considerable critical acclaim, with solo exhibitions at the New Vision, Lincoln, and Clement Stephens galleries in London, along with exhibitions at London's

Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...

and the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...

in Oxford between 1955 and 1964.

Life as an artist

In 1962, Parvez held a two-man exhibition at the Lincoln Gallery with American painter

Alexander Calder Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and his ...

. Ali Imam wrote in 1979 that "Ahmed Parvez has held over 30 solo exhibitions in Europe, US and Pakistan. He is undoubtedly our most exhibited Pakistani painter abroad." Declaring his paintings to be "art of the highest standard", George Butcher wrote for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' in 1963 that ''Three in One (II)'' was "as complete and beautiful a testament to the resolution of the Eastern pattern and Western

Tachism __NOTOC__ Tachisme (alternative spelling: Tachism, derived from the French word ''tache'', stain) is a French style of abstract painting popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The term is said to have been first used with regards to the movement in 19 ...

as has been accomplished by anyone. The mood is as near to

aul An aul (; ce, oil; russian: аул) is a type of fortified village or town found throughout the Caucasus mountains and Soviet Central Asia, Central Asia. The word itself is of Turkic origin and simply means ''village'' in many Turkic language ...

Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

as it is to the jeweled ambiance of an Eastern potentate." The ''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 as a success ...

'' review of Parvez's work noted that "it takes an extremely clear vision or strong personality to impose such an individual character on an abstract or near abstract design.

Ben Nicholson Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, Order of Merit, OM (10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract art, abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscape and still-life. Background and training Nicholson was ...

Ivon Hitchens Ivon Hitchens (born London, 3 March 1893 – 29 August 1979) was an English painter who started exhibiting during the 1920s. He became part of the 'London Group' of artists and exhibited with them during the 1930s. His house was bombed in 1940 du ...

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

and R.J. Hitchcock are among the few that have it; so is Ahmed Parvez." In the 1950s, Victor Musgrave, a British poet, art dealer and curator of Gallery One, considered Parvez to be "without question, the outstanding artist from Pakistan who has made a very strong impact upon the English art world. His extension into the West of the ideals implicit in Muslim art has been an effort of unique importance." Ahmed Parvez attempted to integrate Modernism into Pakistani art.

Life in the UK and US

From 1955 to 1964, Ahmed lived and worked in London, UK. In the late 1960s, he spent two years living and working in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

before returning to Pakistan. During this time, he exhibited his work at the Galerie Internationale in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and married Reiko Isago, from

Sendai, Japan is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 designated cities. The city was founded in 1600 by the ''daimyō'' Date ...

. She would later give birth to their son, Aleem Isago Parvez.

Death

Ahmed Parvez died of a

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

in 1979.Profile and painting of Ahmed Parvez on Bonhams (bonhams.com) website
Retrieved 11 July 2019

Awards

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

Award (Urdu: تمغۂ حسنِ کارکردگی) by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

in 1978.

Commemorative postage stamp

On 14 August 2006, Pakistan Post Office issued a Rs. 40 sheetlet of stamps to posthumously honour 10 Pakistani painters. Besides Ahmed Parvez, the other nine painters honoured were:

Laila Shahzada Laila Shahzada (1926 – 20 July 1994) was a Pakistani abstract painter who lived and worked in Karachi, Pakistan. Biography Laila Shahzada was born in Littlehampton, England in 1926. After completing her basic education in England, she dec ...

, Askari Mian Irani,

Sadequain Syed Sadequain Ahmed Naqvi ( ur, ) (30 June 1930 10 February 1987), often referred to as Sadequain Naqqash, was a Pakistani artist, best known for his skills as a calligrapher and a painter. He is considered one of the finest painters and cal ...

, Ali Imam, Shakir Ali,

Anna Molka Ahmed Anna Molka Ahmed (13 August 1917 – 20 April 1994) was a Pakistani artist and a pioneer of fine arts in the country after its independence in 1947. She was a professor of fine arts at the University of the Punjab in Lahore. Early life an ...

Zahoor ul Akhlaq Zahoor ul Akhlaq (4 February 1941 – 18 January 1999) was a pioneering artist from Pakistan. He is known for his approach to painting, sculpture, design and architecture, as well as his teaching at the NCA (National College of Arts) in Laho ...

Zubeida Agha Zubeida Agha ( ur, ; 1922–1997) was among the first Pakistani Modern Artists. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, she was the first artist to hold an exhibition of her paintings. She helped bring the modern idiom to Pakistan. (Associated ...

and Bashir Mirza.

Major exhibits

Ahmed Parvez held over 30 solo exhibitions in Europe, US and Pakistan *

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, UK *

, UK * Lincoln Gallery (1962) * The Ahmed Parvez Retrospective at VM Gallery, Karachi (2004)

References

External links

Ahmed Parvez , Clifton Art GallerySaffron Art - Ahmed ParvezMutual Art - Ahmed ParvezBonhams Auctions - Ahmed ParvezAsia Art Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parvez, Ahmed 1926 births 1979 deaths 20th-century Pakistani painters Artists from Karachi Recipients of the Pride of Performance