In the Memory of

Ismail Gulgee

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Ismail Gulgee (October 25, 1926 - December 16, 2007) was an award-winning, globally famous Pakistani artist born in Peshawar. He was the father of Amin Gulgee (see details about Amin Gulgee HERE), He was a qualified engineer in the U.S. and self-taught abstract painter and portrait painter. Before 1959, as portraitist, he painted the entire Afghan Royal Family. From about 1960 on, he was noted as an abstract painter influenced by the tradition of Islamic calligraphy and by the American "action painting" idiom.

Gulgee began painting while training as an engineer in the USA (Columbia and Harvard universities) and held his first exhibition in 1950. He continued to paint while secretary at the Pakistan embassy at Ottawa during the 1950s, developing a reputation for portraiture.

In 1957 he was commissioned to paint the portrait of King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, and in 1959 he held an exhibition of 151 paintings and sketches in Kabul. He also painted portraits of Prince Karim Aga Khan (1961), Zhou Enlai (1964), Queen Farah Diba of Iran (1965) and President Ayub Khan of Pakistan (1968). He then turned to making portraits from marble mosaic and semi-precious stones, a technique that he had developed in Kabul in 1959. His abstract paintings, produced since the 1960s, incorporate ornamental calligraphy, coloured beads, small pieces of mirror, and gold and silver leaf. These works include a large abstract mural painted in 1965 for the British engineering firm Wates Ltd of London. In 1967 he began to make calligraphic sculptures in bronze, based on verses of the Koran, which were first exhibited in Tokyo in 1970. He made a large crescent and star in copper plate for the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad in 1986, and produced calligraphy in stone inside the mosque.

International and Special assignments

Guljee as he was famously known has had many special requests for his paintings internationally. The list goes from Saudi royal family to the Islamabad presidency. His painting works have been amazing and many of his works are placed in The famous "Faisal Mosque" in Islamabad. Guljee had a long list of recognisation and awards given to him in Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, Japan and France etc.

Exhibition and Personal Life

Guljee's exhibitions have mostly been available to few people. Keeping that in mind and high demand from public and lovers of his works, an art gallery for Guljee has been built in Clifton, Karachi near South City Hospital and Sea View Karachi. Guljee mostly painted for his own inspirations and vision. Although selected paintings are available for sale in Guljee art gallery. Guljee was last based in Boat Basin in Karachi.

Suspicious Death

Gulgee, his wife Zarrin Gulgee and a maid found dead in their house on the evening of December 19, 2007. Police say that foul play is suspected. While the bodies were found on the 19th, officials report that they had apparently been deceased for three days, leading to a speculative death date of December 16, 2007.

Ismail Gulgee, most versatile and successful Pakistani artist, visited Hamdard University on 16th January, 2007, to deliver lecturer in Hamdard University Personality Development Program, organized by Directorate of Student/External Affairs. He spoke about his creative art and how to promote art and artist in Pakistan. The audience greatly appreciated his love for art.

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