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Jamil Naqsh (1938 - 2019) was born Kairana, India and later moved to Karachi, Pakistan. He then moved to London in 2012 and lived there until his death in 2019. Naqsh is considered by many as Pakistan’s leading modern artist. He trained as a miniaturist at the National College of Arts, but left the College without completing his degree as he felt it was the experience not the qualification that was important. Naqsh mostly paints nude women and pigeons, and this obsession has won him local as well as international acclaim. He is known for his palette knife work and prominent line work on canvas. Naqsh has also painted Islamic calligraphy in his modern style with unique and bold brush strokes.
The pigeon or dove is an element that Naqsh introduced in 1964 into his nude compositions, held aloft or clutched before the breast, but also painted separately, as in this painting. Pigeons held a particular fascination for Naqsh, who returned to them repeatedly in his paintings. He grew up watching pigeons in his courtyard, and set up his Karachi studio in a rooftop garden where pigeons were allowed to move around freely and were welcomed as visitors.
Note written by Benjamin Haines 14th November 1996 on rear:
“Karachi, 1964. I bought The Pigeons from a friend and professional painter, Jamil Naqsh, and he gave me the other. The nudes were unusual in Moslem Karachi, even then.”
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