Muhammad Zahid Rifat
Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), located at the huge premises of the National Art Gallery in Islamabad, is the only national level institution of its kind which is supposed to preserve and promote art in the country. PNCA was established in a rented premises in 1973 to spearhead the development of arts in the country in order to build a robust arts ecosystem by creating an environment conducive to the flourishing of the arts, where the arts are accessible to everyone and the artists as well as the arts groups have and enjoy commitment, financial support and resources from the high-level official quarters concerned treading the corridors of power and to excel at home and also on the world stage. PNCA as per its assigned task is responsible for promotion of culture, art, music, film and theatre in the country. Over the years, it has evolved and developed the concept of Permanent Collection in order to preserve and display art works of prominent living and deceased artists. Permanent Collection according to the information available has now more than 1700 paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, calligraphy mostly from Pakistani artists though there are some from the foreign artists. Besides Pakistani artists, creative art work of artists from China, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, France, South Africa and Nigeria is also on display in PNCA’s Permanent Collection more about which will be mentioned at some other time, please.
Most unfortunately, there have been covert and overt attempts during the past couple of years by some parties with vested interests to get declare some paintings in PNCA’s Permanent Collection placed in “on loan” category so that these can be handed over to the alleged heirs of one or the other deceased artists whenever such a claim is made. This issue had been agitated from time to time but following induction of current lady Director General, the issue had once again been raised and in order to give some cover to it, a Committee was constituted. The issue related to the art work of internationally reputed artist Anwar Jalal Shemza who died on 14 January 1985. In order to pay tributes to Anwar Jalal Shemza, one of the founders of Pakistan’s modern art movement, the PNCA decided to organize an exhibition of his art works in 1985 immediately after his death. For this purpose, Shemza’s family was approached and his 10 art works secured for displaying in the exhibition.
The arts works known as Roots series were created by Shemza between 1982 to 1984 prior to his death and in the form of 5 paintings and 5 prints. Following the exhibition, the paintings and prints were placed in PNCA’s Permanent Collection for the benefits of the posterity. An average value of s Shemza painting was currently approximately around Rs 10 lakh or so. There was no claim from heirs of Anwar Jalal Shemza for more than 25 years. The claim recently made for return of Shemza’s art works may have been prompted by high prices of his art work in the international market. The incumbent lady Director General was advised by some PNCA officials to refrain from moving ahead as this would cause a great loss. She was further told that PNCA’s Permanent Collection including Shemza’s art works has been on display for decades, and not withstanding the steps taken at the time for including such works in this category, we have no legal, ethical or administrative authority of any kind to change that categorization.
The officials are also known to have virtually warned that this can lead to a depletion of Pakistan’s national art assets which would be a colossal loss to say the least and this will also open a Pandora Box where heirs of other artists may also start demanding ownership on similar flimsy grounds and there may even be litigation from other heirs. But she did not realize that it would be a national loss if Shemza’s work, which has been in the National Art Gallery since 1985, was now handed over to the claimants and it will not be anything else but a criminal act that officials who are supposed to be the custodian of the national art treasure should be facilitating such a white collar crime. But all these good advices in the national interest were arrogantly ignored by the lady Director General who was perhaps inducted in the PNCA top slot with some specific task without looking into her past service record.
She moved ahead and acting on one of many recommendations of the committee, handed over Anwar Jalal Shemza’s art works at a ceremony unceremoniously held quietly and secretly to an unknown lady with or without verification of her credentials as genuine representative of Shemza’s Britain-based heirs. Neither Federal Education Minister who also holds charge of National History and Literary Heritage Division Shafqat Mehmood, his cousin, noted artist and art teacher Salima Hashmi whose name was mentioned as representative of Shemza’s heir sometime back nor electronic and print media were present on this occasion. Now that the floodgates have been opened in this manner, who is going to stem the onrushing rout and save the national art treasure from being further depleted as heirs of other living and deceased artists may also be coming up with similar claims after this massive damage already done, most unfortunately.
—The writer is Lahore-based freelance journalist, columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
