Born in 1897 in Lahore, Abdur Rahman Chughtai was an acclaimed Pakistani artist, writer and printmaker born into a family of craftspersons and architects Considered the national artist of Pakistan and one of the most important modern Muslim artists to emerge from South Asia, his contribution to Modern Art is incomparable His art education began with being taught the art of naqqashi, a way of creating repousse´ on metal, by his uncle at his local mosque He then went on to study at the Railway Technical School in Lahore He then joined the Mayo School of Art in 1911, after which he had a brief stint working as a drawing teacher and photographer He would then join Mayo School as the head instructor in the chromo-lithography department

He was best known for his unique visual language, representative of South Asian culture, that fused many of his influences including Art Nouveau, Mughal art, traditional miniature paintings and Islamic art He would create scenes from folklore from Punjab and Persia, Mughal history and religious texts, portraying persons of note His vast oeuvre, created through 60 years of his career, consists of several thousand pencil works, over 2000 watercolours, and over 300 aquatints and etchings

He received several awards for his captivating works including the Presidential Medal for Pride of Performance (1968), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (1960) and was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur (1934) His distinct visual language was admired throughout the world, earning appreciation from famous figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, artist Pablo Picasso and writer Allama Iqbal among others

Today, his works are housed in several noteworthy public and private collections around the world