KARACHI: The death of Dr Akbar Naqvi on Sunday saddened the artist community across Pakistan.

Talking to Dawn distinguished art critic Marjorie Husain said: “When he was writing, he was very involved in the art scene. He regularly wrote on what was happening. He was a respected figure. He’d been off the scene for some years, but it’s amazing how he was trying to bring out his last book, which means he was involved to the last moment. He was keen to give his feelings and thoughts on art, but was not very keen on modern sculpture. He was a man with opinion. He had a more personal relationship with the artists. He was a close friend of sculptor Shahid Sajjad.”

Artist and writer Anwar Maqsood said: “I had known Dr Naqvi for the past 55 years from the time I was a young painter; he used to encourage me a lot. He was a cultured and honest man. He was a voracious reader. He had read all the books written on Picasso. He was aware of Vincent van Gogh’s predicament and knew that at times Paul Klee’s drawings surpassed Picasso’s. One needs to understand that sometimes a straight line tells more stories than what we imagine. And Dr Naqvi knew that very well. And what he did was that he mingled with the artists of his country –– Shahid Sajjad, Shakir Ali, Sadequain etc. The critic is the most cowardly of creatures because he demands of others to do something that he cannot do. But Dr Naqvi was not like that. He knew his job.”

Salmana Shahid Sajjad, wife of the late Shahid Sajjad, said: “Dr Naqvi was a fine human being. He was also a blunt man and would say whatever he wanted to say without any inhibition. Like Shahid, he either had friends or no-friends. He was unique in what he did. I remember we were having lunch at someone’s place where Ameena Saiyid (of OUP) was also present. She wanted to publish a book on art. She asked Shahid who she should get in touch with to pen that book. Shahid said he knew only one person who could do that, and that was Dr Naqvi. However, Shahid told Ameena that be prepared that he (Dr Naqvi) wouldn’t write goodie-goodie stuff for everyone. He would write what he felt was right.”

Artist Shakira Masood said: “He was the man with knowledge of Pakistani art. He wrote books on it, he spoke very well on it. He was the encyclopaedia of Pakistani art.”

Dr Naqvi’s daughter Zehra Chughtai said: “His was a towering personality. His intellectual contribution to the cultural life of Pakistan is something we feel proud of. He’s left behind a legacy in the form of his articles and essays.”

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2016