One of the 106 works of art donated by Jamil Naqsh Art lovers and art practitioners in Pakistan had always lamented the fact that while the country had been endowed with a large number of artists in every genre of fine art, nothing was being done to archive and record their works. They can now relax in the knowledge that steps in the right direction are being taken by the Foundation for Museum of Modern Art (Fomma), a non-profit organisation run by a trust.
Setting up a museum of modern art and an art library was first mooted in the 1960s but it became a reality at the turn of the century, shortly after Jalaluddin Ahmed, now nudging 90, moved from London to Karachi. He and his wife Azra Jalal, another art aficionado, used to bring out the prestigious journal Art and the Islamic World in London.
Back in Karachi Jalal Sahib, as he is called by one and all, propagated the idea of setting up Fomma. His enthusiasm proved infectious and it didn’t take much time for some influential people to join hands with him and set up the trust. Jalal Sahib was unanimously appointed honorary CEO of the governing body.
The Foundation for Museum of Modern Art takes small but steady steps towards building a museum of contemporary art in Karachi
The objective of Fomma has been “to promote the study and intelligent appreciation of art and architecture in the country and to set up a museum of modern and contemporary art as also a well-equipped art library”.
The famous artist, gallerist and archivist Syed Ali Imam, who had painstakingly collected thousands of press clippings on Pakistani artists and the art scene in the country from 1971 to 2000, took the sensible decision of donating his treasure trove to Fomma in the twilight years of his life. In a building on the premises of the old race course, which was given to the Fomma free of charge, the clippings are being digitised and preserved for posterity. Earlier, the 36 issues of Art and the Islamic World were digitised and archived. Sabed in PDF, all these archives will be available online not just to researchers but also to curious art lovers.
One of the notable successes of Fomma has been in publishing monographs on a number of Pakistani artists, such as Ali Imam, Zubeida Agha, Laila Shahzada, A.R. Nagori, Rabia Zuberi and Lubna Agha. In addition to that, articles of well-known art writers, Salwat Ali and Marjorie Husain, have also been published in book form by the organisation. All these publications are also of immense value to students in art schools all over the country. These books sold well and paid for their printing and production costs, if not the editorial and marketing expenses.
In 2013, as Jalal Sahib was nearing his 90s he began to look for a successor and a motivated successor he found in Fawzia Naqvi, who took over as honorary CEO of Fomma. Jalal Sahib continues to be a father figure and retains his membership of the managing committee.