Ustad Allah Bux

Ustad Allah Bux was born in Wazirabad in the Punjab province of undivided India (in present-day Pakistan) in the early 1890s.

Bux learnt to paint at a young age when his father enrolled him at an atelier in Lahore; he also learnt calligraphy, the process of grinding pigments and studied miniature illustrations. He furthered his painting skills under artist-teacher Meeran Buksh Naqash.

Bux used his artistic skills to eke out a living, first painting signboards and coaches and later employed in a theatre company painting nature scenes on large curtains for Persian and Shakespearean dramas.

The artist also spent several years in Bombay, enjoying success for his series of paintings based on Hindu mythology. It was around this time that he was awarded the Maharaja of Jodhpur Award by the Simla Fine Arts Society. Between 1937 and ’47, he spent considerable time painting exclusively for the Maharaja of Patiala. The time spent in these cities left a lasting impression on the artist though he soon returned home to Lahore. He was later decreed one of Pakistan’s foremost modern artists and a National Treasure. His paintings are a part of the permanent collection at the Contemporary Paintings Gallery at the Lahore Museum and are rarely seen outside Pakistan.