Abdul Rahim Nagori

Prof. Abdul Rahim Nagori (1939 – 14 January 2011) was a Pakistani painter known for his socio-political themes.^[1][2][3] He has held one-man exhibitions since 1958.^[4] He taught at the University of Sindh in Jamshoro, Pakistan where he founded and headed the department of Fine Arts.

Abdul Rahim Nagori
Born	1939
Died	Jan, 14th, 2011 Karachi
Nationality	Pakistani
Alma mater	1961–65: B.A. (Hon), Fine Arts (Painting), M.A. Fine Arts (Painting), University of the Punjab, Lahore
Spouse	Mehfooza Diwan Nagori
Awards	President's Pride of Performance Award

He was honoured with President's Pride of Performance Award announced on 14 August 2010.^[5] He was married to Mehfooza Diwan Nagori.

Exhibitions

• 1982: Anti-militarism and violence exhibition which got censored and banned by the martial law regime.^[2][6]
• 1983: Anti martial law exhibition, sponsored by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).
• 1986: Anti-dictatorship Exhibition held at Indus Gallery, Karachi. Most powerful exhibition of his career where he exposed 62 different awful national events which shook the conscience of the nation.^[7]
• 1988: Anti-dictatorship Exhibition, "Road to Democracy", held at Indus Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan. Reviewed by Mark Fineman of the Los Angeles Times.^[8] Painted the evils of society by evolving new alphabet symbols for children, basing them on the events which took place in preceding two years. Bomb blasts, crime, dacoities, guns, heroin, Ojhri, Kalashnikov, rape etc. became new symbols of the alphabet.^[7][9]
• 1990: "I am you" Anti-violence exhibition, large hoarding for display on road side, sponsored by Deutsche Bank, participated by International Artists.
• 1990: "Women of Myth and Reality" exhibition at Indus Gallery, Karachi. Repudiated the treatment meted out to the women.^[7]
• 1992: Exhibition on minority, held at Chawkhandi Art Gallery, Karachi. A series of 40 paintings was again a process of social and political protest for the mute, bewildered and confused society which finds itself full of tears, shame, anguish and anger.
• 1994: Exhibition "Black amongst Blacks" held at Lahore Art Gallery, Lahore.
• 2004: Exhibition "Return to Sphinx" held at V.M. Art Gallery, Karachi.^[10]

Education

• 1961–65: B.A. (Hon), Fine Arts (Painting), M.A. Fine Arts (Painting), University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Served as

• 1965–66: Lecturer, Dept of Fine Arts, University of the Punjab, Lahore.
• 1966–67: Head of Fine Arts, Cadet College Kohat, Kohat.
• 1966–70: Education Officer, Pakistan Air Force.
• 1970: Founder Head Dept. of Fine Art at University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
• 1985–1995: Professor, Fine Arts, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
• 1983–86: Member BOG, National College of Arts, Lahore.
• 1984–85: Member NAHE, University Grants Commission, Islamabad.
• 1984: Chairman, Curriculum Committee, Art Teachers Training Programme, Ministry of Education, Islamabad.
• 1997–98: Advisor, Federal College of Art and Design, Jamshoro.
• 1996–1997: Director, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Ministry of Culture.
• 1998–: Member BOG, Shaukat Suriya College of Liberal Arts, Hamdard University, Karachi.
• 1998:Member BOG, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Ministry of Culture.

Awards

• 2011: Pride of Performance

Published letters

• National Art Gallery, Daily Dawn Newspaper, 26 November 2001
• Shifting of Archives, Daily Dawn, 14 May 2002
• Pride of Performance, Daily Dawn 1 September 2002
• When Merit Suffers, Daily Dawn, 12 September 2002
• On Khushwant Singh, Daily Dawn, 14 October 2002
• Artists and political subjects, Daily Dawn, 9 December 2002
• Mulk Raj Anand, Daily Dawn, 3 October 2004

Published articles

• A change for the worse, The Star, 9 January 1986
• Can Art be called Islamic? The Star Newspaper 13 April 1986
• A search in the wrong direction, The Star, 12 June 1986
• Art and the Pakistani Press, The Star, 7 August 1986
• The artists' place in society, 4 September 1986
• The wily serpent lives, The Star, 4 December 1986
• Riveras Resolution, The Star, 21 May 1987
• The arts as social AWACKS, The Star Newspaper, 8 October 1987
• A land of equal opportunity
• In scorn of official overtures
• The unaesthetic realities of life
• Trading Horses for Art, The News International, 7 December 1992
• Art under dictatorship, Seminar Paper read at Goethe Institute, Karachi, 18 October 1996

References

1. In the name of peace, Daily Dawn, 2004 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
2. Salwat, Ali (20 September 2007). . Daily Jang. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
3. "Legend lost: Political painter AR Nagori passes away". The Express Tribune. 15 January 2011.
4. Romasa, Amber (2006). Karachi : Foundation for Museum of Modern Art (ed.). Nagori : voice of conscience. Oxford : Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-969-8896-02-7.
5. . Pakistan Times. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012.
6. Brush with authority, The Chronicle of Pakistan
7. Salwat Ali (June 2004). . Newsline. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
8. Fineman, Mark (27 November 1988). "Crises Loom for Pakistan Along Road to Democracy". Los Angeles Times.
9. Bonhams Auction 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
10. Reality Bites, Herald Magazine, p150, June Issue, 2004 26 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Official Website of A. R. Nagori
• The loss of a free thinker: A.R.Nagori, DAWN newspaper, 17 January 2011
• After Nagori: The man who spoke his mind and painted what he believed in…, The News International, 23 January 2011^{[permanent dead link]}
• Tribute paid to Ali Imam, Daily Dawn, 14 July 2002
• Return to the Sphinx, Daily Dawn Newspaper, Gallery, 4 May 2004^{[permanent dead link]}
• Sadequain Remembered, Daily Dawn Newspaper, 9 March 2005
• Portrait of a Protest, The News International, 20 August 2006^{[permanent dead link]}
• Remembering Colin David, Daily Times, 2 March 2008
• [1] A R Nagori: A Retrospective, Art Now