Abdur Rahman Chughtai is one such name that evokes splendour and ethos of Art Nouveau, seldom to be witnessed anywhere. It is his sublime artistry that made Chughtai Art a worldwide phenomenon.

A forerunner of Islamic Art, his works are reminiscent of Mughal architecture, miniature painting forms which stagger along a vast plethora of subjects but mostly centred on native characters of Islamic history, folktales & legends. His paintings depict one of the most exceptional instances of graded technique, with watercolour as his preferred medium. He was called the “Mussaver-E-Mashriq” or the Artist of the East.

Following the partition of the subcontinent, A.R. Chughtai became the National Artist of Pakistan. In a career that spans over 60 fine years, Abdur Rahman Chughtai had completed almost 2000 paintings, thousands of pencil sketches, 300 aquatints and etchings and left his touch felt across designs of tombstones, insignias of national and international significance, coins, dust covers and postal stamps.