Anna Molka Ahmed

Born in 1917 in London of Polish and Russian-Jewish parents, Anna Molka Ahmed studied at St. Martin’s School of Art in London followed by the Royal College of Art. Molka converted to Islam at age 18 before marrying Sheikh Ahmed in 1939 and moving to Lahore where she would transform the world of art in the country. In the 1940s, Molka established the Department of Fine Arts at the University of the Punjab where she taught diverse media and techniques including sculpture, printing, and pottery. “She is remembered as a formidable, mercurial figure who kept the department alive from its modest beginnings.” (‘Ahmed, Anna Molka’, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2013). She shaped the landscape of art and art education in Pakistan, inspiring countless Pakistani painters over her career spanning fifty-five years. In 1963, the Pakistani government honored Molka with the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, one of the highest civilian awards of excellence.

Ahmed’s work often depicted sociopolitical themes, evocative landscapes, and figurative composition. Her paintings are characterized by thick, gestural strokes of paint and unblended color that make bold statements. Hunger is a masterpiece of this signature impasto technique, and the vivid palette that Ahmed applied throughout her opus. A male figure sits cross-legged above a sea of faces and hands, his quiet demeanor in stark contrast to the societal chaos below. The figure’s hands are reminiscent of the bhumisparsha mudra, Buddha’s earth-touching gesture that calls the earth to witness his enlightenment. This man brings peace to the frenzied bodies that make up the ground on which he sits. In striking shades of yellow and blue, Ahmed achieves a brilliantly complex and poignant work, bringing European techniques and regional themes together in perfect harmony.