Sadequain’s Interpretation of Nobel Laureate Albert Camus’ Novel The Stranger by SADEQUAIN Foundation USA
San Diego, California: SADEQUAIN Foundation USA has announced the publication of a new edition of its book titled Albert Camus and SADEQUAIN.
Sadequain lived in Paris France from 1961 to 1967. This period is considered to be the most creative and productive period of Sadequain’s life. Among other achievements, one of Sadequain’s significant works in Paris was his commission of producing lithographs based on the most famous novel titled The Stranger by noble laureate Albert Camus.
Sadequain’s important body of work was not available or documented in Pakistan until now. The original limited-edition approximately 200 copies of the book published in France by a prestigious French Organization was only available in France in the 1960s, but is not available now except rare copies which sell in excess of US$15,000 each copy when available.
It was a remarkable achievement. An incredible scenario. How did Sadequain manage to impress the French jury to select him for the coveted assignment of pictorially interpreting the most famous novel, titled The Stranger, written by the French Nobel Laureate, Albert Camus?
France is a nation known to have more artists per square mile than any other country. Pakistan is a country not to have produced artists of international repute. Sadequain, a Pakistani, could not read or write French. Then how could he comprehend the intellectually taxing French novel based on the philosophical complexities of existentialism? If he could not read and understand it well enough then how could he interpret its emotions, the irony, and the absurdity? The improbable achievement deserves special treatment.
This book is the result of exhaustive efforts by SADEQUAIN Foundation USA to preserve Sadequain’s legacy and protect his reputation. The Foundation, founded in 2007 in San Diego, California, has been engaged in searching for the widely scattered works of Sadequain, which he, in most cases, carelessly gave away to mostly undeserving individuals and institutions, mistakenly thinking that they will make efforts to preserve his legacy. He could not be more wrong.
In his lifetime Sadequain was recognized and praised by the media on all five continents. Not many Pakistanis can make this claim. French newspaper Le Monde quoted “Sadequain’s multiplicity is reminiscent of Picasso.” UAE newspaper Khaleej Times declared him responsible for the “renaissance of calligraphic art.”
In his lifetime Sadequain was a celebrity and a household name in Pakistan. He is perhaps the only individual who was recognized by the Pakistan government by establishing three (3) institutions named Galerie Sadequain in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. He was bestowed with national and international awards, but he did not bother to receive them in person. To him, awards were irrelevant.
Sadequain gave more to the nation than any man or woman. But within a few years after he passed away, his name faded from the collective memory of the nation. He should have been the face of the nation recognized around the globe, but sadly, he became a stranger in his own country; an unsung hero.
Alarmed and dismayed by the dire situation, SADEQUAIN Foundation was established in May 2007 in San Diego California with the stated goals of discovering, preserving, and promoting Sadequain around the globe. The Foundation executed exhaustive search to locate thousands of pieces of Sadequain’s works in places as far-flung as Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Middle East, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, USA, Canada, and more.
SADEQUAIN Foundation USA has so far published 24 books on Sadequain’s life and various aspects of his work. The Foundation’s book titled The Saga of SADEQUAIN is the largest book on the subject of art ever published in Pakistan. It has also been recommended by Pakistan Foreign Office to all its embassies around the world. The book titled The Legend of SADEQUAIN is a representation of SADEQUAIN’s innovative calligraphic style called Khatt-e- SADEQUAINI. The book titled Lines and Drawings II is the largest collection of drawings ever published in Pakistan; Sadequain’s or otherwise. In short, the Foundation has produced more literature on Sadequain than any other entity.
The Foundation has hosted more than 100 seminars, book launches, and exhibitions in the USA, Canada, UK, France, Dubai, Pakistan, and India.
In February 2017, the Foundation crossed a major milestone after laboring for 6 long years of red tape and spending more than $50,000 on repairs of the Frere Hall, donating more than 50 pieces of artworks representing a wide range of SADEQUAIN’s palette and establishing Galerie SADEQUAIN at Frere Hall in Karachi. This is the only location in Pakistan where the general public has unrestricted access to SADEQUAIN’s artworks.
Established in 2007, SADEQUAIN Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to discovering, preserving, and promoting Sadequain’s art globally. To that end, the Foundation has published 25 books on Sadequain’s life and work, and curated more than 100 seminars and exhibitions around the globe.
Dr Salman Ahmad, an electrical engineer by profession, who has spent more than thirty years working on nuclear missile technology in senior executive positions in the United States, founded the SADEQUAIN Foundation USA in June 2007 to catalogue Sadequain’s work and introduce it to the world.
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