Anna Molka Ahmed
Anna Molka Ahmed | |
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Born | Molly Bridger [1] 13 August 1917[2] London, England |
Died | 20 April 1994 Lahore, Pakistan | (aged 76)
Nationality | Pakistani |
Education | Saint Martin's School of Art, London |
Known for | Painting, educator |
Spouse(s) | Sheikh Ahmed
(m. 1939; div. 1951) |
Anna Molka Ahmed (13 August 1917[4] – 20 April 1994) was a Pakistani artist and a pioneer of fine arts in the country after its independence in 1947.[3] She was a professor of fine arts at the University of the Punjab in Lahore.[2]
Early life and career[]
Anna Molka Ahmed was born Molly Bridger to Jewish parents, in London, England. Her mother was Polish and father was Russian. She converted to Islam at the age of 18 in 1935, before marrying Sheikh Ahmed in October 1939, who was then studying in London. She studied painting, sculpture and design at St. Martin School of Arts in London, and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art.
Ahmed moved to Lahore in 1940 and, besides painting, taught fine art at the University of the Punjab.[3] Professor Emeritus Anna Molka Ahmed set up the Department of Fine Arts now called the College of Arts and Design at the University of the Punjab, which she headed until 1978.[5]
In 1951, Anna divorced her husband, but remained in Pakistan with her two daughters until her death on 24 April 1994.
In her 55-year career, "she was well known as a painter of evocative landscapes, grand thematic figurative compositions and observant, insightful portraits. Her works are characterised by a signature impasto technique executed in a flamboyant, vivid palette."[6]
Awards and honours[]
Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) (1963) by the Government of Pakistan for her services in the field of fine arts education[2]
- Pride of Performance Award in 1979 by the President of Pakistan.[2]
- Khudeja Tul Kubra Medal
On 14 August 2006, Pakistan Post issued a Rs. 40 sheetlet of stamps to posthumously honour ten Pakistani painters. Besides Anna Molka Ahmed, the other nine painters were: Laila Shahzada, Askari Mian Irani, Sadequain, Ali Imam, Shakir Ali, Zahoor ul Akhlaq, Zubeida Agha, Ahmed Pervez and Bashir Mirza.[7]
On 1 June 2020, Google celebrated her with a Google Doodle.[8]
References[]
- ^ HB, Jalal. "Ana Molka Ahmed – the first woman painter of Pakistan".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Profile and Anna Molka Ahmed's awards info listed Archived 1 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine lailashahzada.com website, Retrieved 14 December 2017
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ana Molka Ahmed: The First Female Painter of Pakistan". Pakistanpaedia. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Anna Molka Ahmed | Anna Molka Ahmed Biography | History of Anna Molka Ahmed". www.urdubiography.com.
- ^ "Profile of Professor Anna Molka Ahmed". The Friday Times (newspaper). Retrieved 14 December 2017.
- ^ "Bonhams : (n/a) Anna Molka Ahmed (Pakistan, 1917-1994) Portrait of Sufi Waqar,". www.bonhams.com.
- ^ Posthumous tribute to Ten Great Painters by Pakistan Post Office website Retrieved 14 December 2017
- ^ "Celebrating Anna Molka Ahmed". Google. 1 June 2020.
External links[]
- 1917 births
- 1994 deaths
- 20th-century Pakistani painters
- 20th-century British women artists
- British women academics
- Converts to Islam from Judaism
- English emigrants to Pakistan
- English people of Polish-Jewish descent
- English people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Pakistani educators
- Pakistani people of English-Jewish descent
- Pakistani people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Pakistani people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Pakistani women academics
- Pakistani women artists
- University of the Punjab faculty
- Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz