HYDERABAD, Jan 12: Renowned artist, sculptor, poet and museologist Syed Zafar Ali Shah Kazmi died here early on Friday morning. He was 74. His body was taken to his native Amri village for burial.

The versatile intellectual has left behind his wife, two sons, four daughters, and thousand of admirers to mourn his death.

The first exhibition of his paintings was held at Bhitshah in 1958 and another the following year during the Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. His first exhibition outside Pakistan was held at the Birmingham museum and art gallery in 1979.

In 1978-79, Kazmi did his post-graduate in Museology from England.

He was nominated for an archaeology award in the 80's by the governments of France and Pakistan. He received the Sindh award in 1985 at Tharparkar Mela and the lifetime achievement award in 1997 from the children magazine "Nat Khat". In 1999, he was given the Latif award by the Sindh culture department.

The late Kazmi served first as assistant director and later as director of the Sindh Museum. Earlier he had served as a teacher in the Institute of Education, University of Sindh, and Jamshoro. He was responsible for the interior decoration of the Shamsul Ulema Daudpota Library, Hyderabad, Bhitshah Jo Bagh and the Sindh Madressa Museum and Gallery.

According to relatives, his last words to the people of Sindh were: "Serve, respect and honour the motherland and make Sindh a citadel of peace and love".