June 1, 2002

His image still occupies my mind. A figure, tall, frail but full of enthusiasm, talking about the past, present and future of Pakistani art: all seemed to be simultaneously living in one person, Ali Imam. And now that person is no more, but it will be difficult for anyone who had met him not to remember him or recall his words after his death.

There were many facades of his personality and in his long career he served art in many capacities: he was a painter, gallery owner, art teacher and connoisseur of art. One saw another image of him during an exhibition at his gallery: always cordial, cheerful, and holding the fort.

The same vigour was observed at his recent lecture entitled Dialogue on Art in Islamabad. He very impressively recounted the history of art, making references to art education, the gallery phenomenon, and the role of critics as well as collectors.

It was interesting and enlightening to hear him speak about tradition and modernity. He described the cross cultural currents in a poetic manner: “ideas travel around the world like birds do, disregarding national boundaries.” He elaborated on it by stating that art and culture have always been going through various changes because of the outside influences, and gave examples of the miniature painting, Gandhara sculpture and the Muslim architecture in the subcontinent.

One remarkable quality of Imam Sahib’s was his vision. Unlike many others who formulate an opinion and then start judging the rest of the world according to their whims, he was open to all kinds of discussions, arguments and experiments in art. No one in Pakistan supported and promoted new artists like he did. Several famous artists owe their present status to Imam Sahib because he recognized their talent at an early stage, and gave them an opportunity to display at the Indus Gallery.

One can visualize him sitting in his chair, with a few artists or art students around, and discussing diverse issues of art in Pakistan. His firsthand knowledge and anecdotes about almost every important painter of this country used to be the source of constant amusement and inspiration to people from the younger generation. Surrounded by the history of Pakistani art — in the form of black-and-white and colour photographs — he used to revoke memories of the time he had spent with painters like Shakir Ali, Zubaida Agha, Sadequain and Zahoorul Akhlaq, and many living artists.

Viewing the life of Ali Imam, one is bound to admit his enormous contribution to the promotion of good art in this country. For a number of years he taught art at the Sadiq Public School, Bahawalpur, Lawrence College, Ghora Galli, and the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Karachi. In addition to teaching, he represented Pakistan in various international exhibitions and seminars. And then, till his very last days, he continued showing the works of many — both young and established and all of them exciting — artists in his gallery. He used to manage the Indus Gallery on his own, from designing the invitation brochures to posting them, calling people to the show to the job of guiding the viewers and helping them to understand and enjoy the works on display.

Another aspect of Imam Sahib’s personality that showed his special attitude towards the crowd we call art lovers was seen on the opening day of an exhibition at the Indus Gallery. He entertained each and everyone of his visitors with a drink. And the warm welcome was extended without fail regardless of the difficult times, like those of General Zia’s. Imam Sahib faced all these pressures and continued being the lovely host he was.

Steadfastness was a trait that was deeply ingrained in his personality. He had the courage to go against the stream, and he refused to bow to what others might conveniently call compulsions — and this also reflected in all his dealings in the realm of visual art.