ART OF M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI BONDED RELATIONS,
BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

At one time everybody knew. At this time it may not be known to most. Pakistani Heads of State visiting the United States of America, presented Chughtai Art Works to American Presidents. It started from President Truman, when a painting was gifted by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan to him. The presentation is on record at having been gifted at Blair House, as President Truman was residing there at that time. The work is no longer traceable by the TRUMAN LIBRARY as they inform us for at that time Presidents were free to accept gifts to the State and use them personally. However as there are four works in the US State Department, it could be one of them.

We do come across a photograph of President Eisenhower, Shahenshah of Iran and Professor Schuyler Wallace which shows a great lot. All three had been presented paintings of M.A. Rahman Chughtai by the Government of Pakistan, but that is a more difficult record to update at this time. We do have a record of some works owned by Professor Schuyler Wallace, some with his relatives, some given back to us. A matter of prestige. One work was inherited by Wallace’s family, who was a billionaire and owned major hotel chains in Honolulu Hawaii, USA.

Some very important gifts were for American President John Kennedy, and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy. The painting presented at the White House is not traceable at present but the one presented to Jacqueline Kennedy here in Pakistan is at the Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. We have an image of same. 

A number of American diplomats visited Chughtai Museum. I myself hosted at least seven American Ambassadors, and there is a record of them. In fact one of them a great friend that is Arnold Raphael, who actually died in Pakistan. But the first official contact was when the artist was officially invited to the United States, along with a lecture at Columbia University. It did not materialize but it was officially undertaken by both sides. A matter of record indeed. The invitation was sent by US State Department through Ambassador James Langley.

So much on record, some forgotten, and some ready for future review. The bond stuck Pakistan and United State of America through various periods, but the solid rock of Art of M.A. Rahman Chughtasi stood the test of time. It is our pleasure to share these past moments for future reference. Pakistan Forever!