Exhibitions
Paradise on Earth
Manuscripts, Miniatures and Mendicants of Kashmir
15th Feb. 2017-
29th January 2018
The Kashmir valley’s natural beauty has been lauded by poets and princes over the centuries. Routes through the valley were traversed by invaders, traders, missionaries, pilgrims, ...
A Flower from Every Meadow
Design and Innovation in Pakistan's Dress Traditions
10th June 2015 -
30th May 2017
The exhibition, A Flower from Every Meadow, on show at the Mohatta Palace Museum is a tribute to the textile arts of Pakistan. It is not commonly known that the textile,...
Wildly Ours
Past, Present and Future of Pakistan's wildlife
17th Aug. - 28th Aug. 2016
Maurizio Boscheri was born in Mezzolombardo, Italy, in May 1955. An ardent traveller and nature lover, he began his painting career in 1997. Boscheri is largely self taught and has exhibited his work extensively in Italy, ...
Labyrinth of Reflections
The Art of Rashid Rana
17th May 2013 - Feb. 2014
Rashid Rana is arguably the most inventive and certainly the most celebrated of Pakistan’s contemporary artists. Although his work has been exhibited across the globe to much critical acclaim, this is the first ever retrospective survey
Sand and Slik
Textiles from Africa
10 Jan. 2012 - 24 May 2012
Despite historical, trade and migratory links between South Asia and Africa, the land mass of Africa remains an intriguing continent. Its deep rooted sense of self, vividly expressed in its textile arts, encompasses widely differing materials
Rebel Angel
Asim Butt 1978-2010
18th May 2011 - 31st July 2011
Asim Butt was a modern artist and social commentator, who, in the short span of his career produced a critical body of work within and outside his studio. He was innovative in his aesthetic oeuvre, painting large canvases in which he addressed issues...
The Rising Tide
New Directions in Art from Pakistan 1990-2010
1st Nov 2010 - 29th March 2011
Pakistani art has come of age on the world stage. As a result of growing international interest in Pakistan contemporary art offers another face to its identity, providing it with a much...
Birth of Pakistan
A journey through Pakistan's early years
23rd Mar 2010 - 23rd June 2010
Birth of Pakistan in collaboration with the citizen's Archive of Pakistan this was an interactive exhibition especially designed for children above 7. It began with the Lahore Resolution ...
Tale of The Tile
The Ceramic Traditions of Pakistan
23rd June 2006 - 17th July¡¦2010
The exhibition showcased the history and development of ceramic crafts in Pakistan from Mehrgarh c. 7000 B.C. and the Indus Valley civilisation c. 3500 B.C. to the present day. It featured over four hundred historical objects borrowed from the Quetta...
Images: There and Then
A Photographic Exhibition
9th Dec. 2009 - 30th April 2010
The display featured the work of sixteen photographers including Aasim Akhtar, Umair Ghani, Arshad Ghori, Malcolm Hutcheson, Amean J. Tapu Javeri, Syed Javaid Kazi, Shamyl Khuhro, Akbar Khushik, Farah Mahbub, Arif Mahmood...
Benazir Bhutto Gallery
4th - 12 January 2010
An exhibition of rare photographs and memorabilia of Benazir Bhutto and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Objects were borrowed from the Institute of Sindhology and placed on view in the Benazir Bhutto Gallery at¡¦ the Mohatta Palace Museum for one week only. The gallery was...
Art for Charity
In Support of Dawn Relief
An exhibition of art and photography organized by DAWN RELIEF was held to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake that struck Pakistan on 8th October, 2005. The exhibition featured the photgraphy of
H. H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai and photographer Uschi ,...
View more »
Jewel in The Crown
Karachi under the Raj 1843-1947
October 2004
The exhibition celebrated the evolution of Karachi from a sleepy fishing village into one of the largest commercial ports in Asia during the British Raj. It featured over two thousand objects and photographs borrowed from over fifty institutions and private lenders in Karachi...
Jamil Naqsh
A retrospective
11th December 2003
The retrospective that featured over four hundred works by one of Pakistan's modern masters, spanning four and a half decades of his artistic career. It illuminated the artist's favourite themes: pigeons, woman and pigeon, woman and horse, mother and child, ode to love and his...
Ghilaf-e-Ka'aba
August 2003
An awe-inspiring display of curtains traditionally used to drape the House of God, the Ka'aba, was displayed during the last week of Ramzan.
Images: Manasarowar to Manora
1830-1940
A collection of nineteenth century illustrations that focused on the regions of Sindh, Punjab, Chitral and Afghanistan, curated by F. S Aijazuddin. These images provided a vivid sense of the military and cultural history that impacted modern day Pakistan. They included...
Sadequain
The Holy SiInner 1954-1987
A spectacular retrospective that featured over two hundred of Sadequain’s non-calligraphic works. It reflected the artist’s existential preoccupations with human suffering underpinned by his famous notion of “mystic figuration.” The title of the exhibition, “The Holy Sinner” was borrowed from the...
Miniature Painting
A revival
This exhibition featured works by thirty traditional modern Pakistani artists, sharing themes of popular myth, court life and contemporary socio-political issues. These works gave credence to the continuing tradition of miniature painting in South Asia, the roots of which can be traced to sixteenth century...
Threads in Time
Costume and Textiles of Pakistan
An amalgamation of the textile arts of Pakistan that featured over two hundred items of costume, dating from the mid nineteenth century to the present. The objects included folk, urban and court costume, accessories such as hats, purses, shoes, shawls, perfume pouches,...
Vision of Divinity
The Art of Gandhara
The exhibition illuminated the life of Buddha who preached and demonstrated that man could attain spiritual enlightenment through the renunciation of worldly desires and by following the eight-fold path. Displays included a hundred and forty rare objects from the classical age including vessels,...
View more »
Qalam
The Arts of Calligraphy
A display of Qur'ans rendered in Kufic, Nakshi and Nastaliq scripts, spanning a timeframe of ten centuries after the birth of Islam in the 7th century A.D. The styles of calligraphy were depicted on modern works of art including sculpture, painting, pottery, terracotta panels and epitaphs...
Treasures of the Talpurs
Collections from the Courts of Sindh
Marking the inauguration of the Museum, this magnificent collection of objects was borrowed from the Talpurs, the families who had ruled Sindh prior to its annexation by the British in 1843. Obtained from the courts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Khairpur, objects on display included...
View more »