KARACHI, Sept 1: Ahmed Saeed Nagi, known as the official artist of the freedom movement, passed away on Friday night in the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi. He was 90. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Nagi had the honour of painting a portrait of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1944. His name was included in the Encyclopaedia of World Art.
Born on February 2, 1916, Nagi studied in Amritsar, Lahore, Delhi and Paris. In recognition of his outstanding achievements as a painter, he was honoured with the Pride of Performance award.
He exhibited his paintings in Paris, London, Lausanne, Zagreb, New York, Tehran, Delhi, Simla, Lahore and Karachi.
Nagi worked for freedom movement from 1944 to 1947 and completed assignments given to him by Quaid-i-Azam and Liaquat Ali Khan in Lahore and other cities.
The Governor House and the Ziarat Residency in Balochistan, the Governor House, the Mohatta Palace and Qasr-i-Naz in Karachi, the Governor House in Peshawar, and the Punjab Assembly building in Lahore bear testimony to his works as a great artist.
He worked for the Commerce Ministry and decorated stalls in an international exhibition held in Karachi.
His two stalls— Export Pavilion & Tourist Bureau — received gold medals.
Nagi also decorated pavilions of Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Afghanistan with their cultural concept at an exhibition in early 1950s. On the request of former prime minister Z.A. Bhutto and former tourism advisor Raja Tridev Roy, he designed Bambhore Club Mediterranean in Sasi Jo Goth.—PPI
