Anna Molka Ahmed

Place: London

Born: 1917

Death: 1994

Biography:

Anna Molka Ahmed, also known as Molly Bridger, was a Pakistani artist and a pioneer of fine arts in the country after its independence in 1947. She was born in London, England in 1917 to Jewish parents, and converted to Islam at the age of 18. Ahmed studied painting, sculpture and design at St. Martin School of Arts in London, and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Art. She moved to Lahore in 1940 and, besides painting, taught fine art at the University of the Punjab. Professor Emeritus Anna Molka Ahmed set up the Department of Fine Arts now called the College of Arts and Design at the University of the Punjab, which she headed until 1978. In 1951, Anna divorced her husband, Sheikh Ahmed, but remained in Pakistan with her two daughters until her death on 20 April 1994. In her 55-year career, 'she was well known as a painter of evocative landscapes, grand thematic figurative compositions and observant, insightful portraits. Her works are characterized by a signature impasto technique executed in a flamboyant, vivid palette.' She received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) (1963) by the Government of Pakistan for her services in the field of fine arts education and the Pride of Performance Award in 1969 by the President of Pakistan. In 2006, Pakistan Post issued a Rs. 40 sheetlet of stamps to posthumously honour ten Pakistani painters, including Anna Molka Ahmed. On 1 June 2020, Google celebrated her with a Google Doodle.