LAHORE: Saeed Akhtar, one of the foremost painters of the country, displayed on Saturday his new paintings and drawings, at his Johar Town residence on Saturday. The event also marked the launch of his book carrying the images of his recent and previous works.

A good number of artists, art lovers, art collectors, educationists and guests attended the event.

Mr Akhtar remained senior professor with National College of Arts for many years. The residence where some 100 or so works were on display had a three-floor gallery. The forte of Akhtar, portraits, also made a big portion of the exhibition.

Akhtar exhibited his works last time in 2011.

The inauguration of the exhibition was an unusual affair his nine-month-old granddaughter Maryam opened the exhibition. The book launch was also a very lively affair. The book ‘Saeed Akhtar’ contains images of drawings, portraits and paintings by the artist.

Sahar Atif, a fashion designer inspired by Saeed Akhtar’s works also put on display four outfits, which she tailored and fashioned taking inspiration from sketch books by Mr Akhtar.

A jubilant Akhtar remained busy signing his book at the exhibition.

“I’ve used many media in my recent works from oil to charcoal,” Mr Akhtar told Dawn, adding that most of the artworks on display were his fresh works.

Ceramist Michu Salahuddin was among the visitors. He said the exhibition had a lot to offer in terms art richness and maturity.

Muhammad Javed, Coopera Art Gallery director, and a contemporary of Akhtar, called the exhibition one of the best he had come across.

Shakir Ali Museum Director Amna Pataudi also held the exhibition in high esteem, saying the exhibition was a great opportunity for young artists to learn since “Saeed Akhtar is a very senior and leading artist of the country”.

The exhibition will remain on till December 5.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2015

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