About Anwar Jalal Shemza
​(1928-1985)

Anwar Jalal Shemza (born Simla 1928, died Stafford 1985), is a world-renowned British Pakistani painter. There has been greater recognition of his work since his death in 1985 beginning with the pioneering exhibition ‘The Other Story’ 1989, Hayward Gallery. Shemza’s painting ‘The Wall’ was chosen to illustrate the cover of the catalogue. His unique style developed through a painting practice which fused Western ideas of abstraction with Eastern influences such as Islamic architecture and calligraphy.

Selected public collections include: Tate, British Museum (UK), Metropolitan Museum, (USA), Guggenheim (Abu Dhabi), Sharjah Art Foundation, and M+ Museum, (Hong Kong).
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The Estate of Anwar Jalal Shemza is represented by Hales Gallery (London) and Jhaveri Contemporary (London, India).

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Anwar Jalal Shemza, Square Composition 2, 1963.

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The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection
16th July - 21st August 2026 
Christies, London

We are delighted that a number of works by Shemza from the Kiran Nadar Museum Collection will be part of "The Meeting Ground" at Christies this summer. The exhibition celebrates modern and contemporary South Asian art through carefully curated scenes drawn from the museum’s extraordinary collection. 

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"One circle, one square, one problem, one life is not enough to solve it” - Anwar Jalal Shemza, 1962