‘Gift to Karachi’: Gulgee Museum opens in tribute to master artist

Gulgee Museum – celebrating the work of contemporary Pakistani artist Ismail Gulgee – opened Wednesday evening to the public in Karachi, welcoming the art fraternity, collectors, friends and family.

Curated by his son, artist Amin Gulgee, the new space was two years in the making and now houses a permanent collection of Gulgee’s paintings, mosaics in lapis lazuli, sketches and sculpture spanning from the 1950s up to the year 2007.

“I’ve curated the collection of over 170 works dividing it into 17 sections which are spread over 13 rooms over two floors of the museum”, Amin told Business Recorder.

Humbled and “overjoyed” by the turnout at the opening, Amin shared how his architect Samina Anjarwala helped him “reimagine the space, which is now an extension of the adjoining Amin Gulgee Gallery”.

Each theme is described in wall text personally written by Amin, who shares much personal context and anecdotal evidence. “I have tried to tell a story about my father, and it was a very personal experience doing that,” he shared.

Gulgee, an engineer by profession, attended the prestigious Columbia University in 1947 as well as Harvard University in 1948.

During his time as a graduate student in the United States, Gulgee studied art on his own, spending countless hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston – his two favorite painters being Velázquez and Rembrandt, as described by Amin.

Also included in the museum are archival photographs.

Gulgee witnessed the birth of Pakistan and images include him showing his works to former French statesman Charles de Gaulle, former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi, Former US President Richard Nixon, among others.

Additionally, there are videos of interviews with Gulgee in which the artist describes his works, as well as the room that he painted in, replete with his brushes, palette knife and materials, which Amin shared he has left as his father had.

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Pietra dura

Pietra dura – a technique of inlaying stonework in which different sections are precisely cut and placed together – was one of the mediums Gulgee was especially synonymous with.

In the 17th century, this method of mosaic was reinterpreted in Mughal India and called ‘parchin kari’.

The marble walls of the Taj Mahal commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan brought about richly colored floral and geometric patterns using jade, cornelian, lapis lazuli and other semi-precious stones.

In 1957, King Mohammad Zahir Shah asked Gulgee to paint his portrait in oils. Gulgee went on to make portraits of members of the royal family, spending almost a year in Kabul.

During his stay in Afghanistan, Gulgee conceived his first mosaic: a depiction of the king using polychrome onyx and marble in pietra dura.

In the 1970s, Gulgee revisited this method to assemble a portrait of Aga Khan III Sultan Muhammad Shah – a replica of which is on display. During his trajectory, Gulgee made portraits of various heads of state and royalty in lapis lazuli.

Incidentally, one of his favourite and oft-used colours, ultramarine, is derived from lapis lazuli.

Artist Adeel uz Zaffar lauded the curation of the exhibit saying, “Gulgee has produced outstanding portraits of the late Karim Aga Khan IV and his grandfather made with lapis lazuli – a precious stone found in Central Asia.”

“I have always seen the works in print and on social media, but it is a breathtaking moment for me to physically experience them at close range, to feel and understand the craft and the beauty. Certainly a photograph does not do justice to the actual work.”

Calligraphy

While the origins of the ‘Naskh’ script can be traced to the first century, they became popular in the 6th century as used by scribes.

In 1974, Gulgee engaged with Islamic text for the first time, with a painting depicts a verse from Quran stating, “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.”

“Gulgee’s hand would fly across the paper as he inscribed calligraphy in these rounded letters,” Amin writes for that section of the gallery.

“He would often conjecture that the movement of foliage must have inspired the early calligraphers to develop Arabic script, noting how a leaf curves and gestures in the wind, creating fluid lines.”

“The works are very carefully selected for each section and the entire retrospective is very well-curated which allows an audience to experience the various thought processes of Ismail Gulgee – the entire range of an artist, state commissions to his personal narratives and selected themes,” added uz Zaffar.

“My favorite section is the one showcases an entire range of his brushes as a reminder of his long life journey.”

Artist Mona Naqsh – daughter of seminal Pakistani artist Jamil Naqsh – called the endeavour a “gift to Karachi”, citing it an important addition to the art landscape.

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The goal of the Gulgee Museum is to be an educational tool for the study of the artist, according to a press release issued by the museum.

Eventually there will be an outreach program targeting schools and universities of Pakistan to give students free guided tours of Gulgee’s immense trajectory. The roof of the museum is a space where discursive sessions can be held on topics of culture relevant to Pakistan.

“It was my parents’ dream that their home would eventually become a museum. I truly hope that I have done justice to that vision,” Amin added.