KARACHI – Renowned Pakistani painter and short story writer Tassaduq Sohail breathed his last on Monday at the age of 87 in Karachi.
Sohail was in precarious condition after he was relocated to a private hospital in Karachi from Islamabad.
The contemporary painter was born in Jalandhar in 1930 and later migrated to Lahore but his family moved to Karachi in 1952.
In Karachi, he found a rich Urdu literary circle and joined them where he was gained a reputation as a qissa-go, for his talent of tale-narrating, by Muhammad Hasan Askari, the urdu teacher and critic.
The celebrated artist moved to London in 1961 and started painting which became his passion as he joined evening classes at the St. Martin School of Art.
His first exhibition was held in London in 1978 following which he did not look back.
Regarding the total number of exhibitions, he stated, “They must be in thousands. These include watercolors, pastels, pen and ink and whatnot, but I have kept no record”.
He was seen on the international frame when his paintings arrived at Bonham’s – the international art auction house in 2007 .
After having spent 40 years in London, Sohail eventually shifted to Karachi.
Tassaduq Sohai was said to have taken inspiration from Picasso, van Goth, Ustad Allah Buksh, Colin David, Amrita Shergill and Sadequain.
