Ismail Gulgee - Artist Info

About Ismail Gulgee

  • Biography

    Born in 1926, Gulgee had initially trained as an engineer and held degrees from Colombia University and Harvard. Initially Gulgee's artistic endeavors were not taken seriously. Meeting with the Aga Khan in the early 1950s, when the country of Pakistan was still in its infancy, Gulgee was told that the nation needed engineers not artists as 'an artist brings glory to himself'.

    Gulgee's critical acclaim was received after his photo realistic commissioned portraits caught the attention of high ranking royalty and dignitaries in wider South Asia. Gulgee as an artist united the youthful Pakistani nation with the Middle East and Central Asia in a way that only an exchange of culture and art could. ...

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