IF has been 25 years since Sadequain’s death, and the artist remains as relevant as ever. With strong academic focus on his works, a younger generation of art lovers, and the expanding world for Pakistani art, a case might even be made that he is even more popular today than he was in his heyday. Since art is generally seen as pastime of the elite and a luxury at best, his achievement is all the more remarkable given the fact that Sadequain was not an artist who appealed to material instincts or a member of the power circles.

Like Manto and others who through their work railed against hypocrisy and inequalities around them, Sadequain has only gained popularity, so much so that now his name rather than the quality of his works draws the highest price in galleries and auction houses around the world.

Sadequain’s works have many layers and different facets which inspire art lovers to study at the various aspects of his works. His paintings and murals have received a number of accolades and now it is his poetry in the form of Urdu rubaiye (quatrains) which is being rediscovered.

Unfortunately this adulation has given room to unsavory forces which seem to exploit the ignorance of art and produce fake paintings of Sadequain to sell as originals. This exploitation of the artist’s name started right at his demise and has come to the point and not only fakes but altogether new artistic works bearing no resemblance to Sadequain’s style or materials are now sold as originals.

Fakers have even displayed a callous disregard for something as sacred as calligraphy of the verses of the Holy Quran and numerous fakes of the artist’s calligraphic works are sold in the open market.

As Anwar Maqsood once commented, it seems Sadequain produced more paintings after his death than when he was alive. The dry comment should highlight a very serious issue, one that needs to be tackled soon and in the right manner.

Sadequain would often say that the measure of an artist is to be measured by his relevance and popularity 50 years after his death. At the halfway mark it seems his sun is waxing stronger with every day to come and will be even more popular at the 50-year mark.

SYED SULTAN AHMED NAQVI Karachi