Imran Qureshi is Pakistan's leading neo-miniature artist, born in 1972 in Hyderabad, and now teaching at Lahore's National College of Arts. He won Deutsche Bank Artist of the Year in 2013 and received Pakistan's Sitara-e-Imtiaz award in 2021. His red-splashed installations address terrorist violence while blending Mughal miniature traditions with contemporary political themes.
Imran Qureshi is one of Pakistan's most important contemporary artists and a pioneer of the neo-miniature movement. Born in 1972 in Hyderabad, Pakistan, he has transformed the ancient tradition of Mughal miniature painting into a powerful language for addressing modern social violence, political tension, and the clash between tradition and globalization. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and major galleries across London, Berlin, Paris, and Dubai.
Qureshi grew up in Hyderabad and moved to Lahore to study at the National College of Arts (NCA). When he first arrived at NCA, he knew nothing about miniature painting. He had only read one article about it in an Urdu newspaper. At NCA, he discovered there was a dedicated department for miniature painting—the only one offering this training in the world. His teacher Bashir Ahmed encouraged him, even when Qureshi doubted he had the right temperament for such disciplined work. He soon discovered he could sit for hours painting miniatures.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1993, earning Distinction and the Haji Muhammad Sharif Award for Miniature Painting. Shortly after graduation, he began teaching at NCA and has been teaching miniature painting since 1994. Today he heads the miniature painting department, where 25 students take the course in their third year.
Qureshi's practice combines decorative motifs and traditional techniques from the 16th to 19th century Mughal miniature tradition with conceptual and contemporary painting styles. His work includes abstract paintings, figurative works on paper, monumental paintings, and site-specific installations.
Since 2011, he has painted extensively with the color red, often splashing it from various distances. This red bears direct connotations of terrorist violence in Pakistan and elsewhere. His installations in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New York, London, Berlin, and Paris have evolved his identity as both a local Pakistani artist and a globally conscious political voice.
In 2011, Qureshi won the Sharjah Biennial 10 Premier Prize for his installation "Blessings Upon the Land of My Love." In 2013, Deutsche Bank named him Artist of the Year, making him the fourth artist honored and the first from Pakistan. His solo exhibition traveled from Berlin's DB KunstHalle to Rome's MACRO Museum.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art commissioned him for The Roof Garden Commission in 2013. His work was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in both 2013 and 2015. In January 2017, the U.S. Department of State awarded him the Art in Embassies International Medal of Arts for promoting cultural understanding.
On August 14, 2021, President Dr. Arif Alvi conferred Pakistan's Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence)—the third highest civilian award—on Qureshi, recognizing his first major award in his home country.
In 2025, Qureshi unveiled "Between Sacred Cities," his largest installation at the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. The work reimagines a historic route from Kufa in Iraq to Makkah, exploring spirituality, identity, and the intersection of past and present. His work is held in major collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (Japan), Deutsche Bank Collection (Frankfurt), World Bank (Washington DC), and Pakistan's National Art Gallery and Presidency.
Qureshi continues to live and work in Lahore, where he teaches, heads the miniature department, and oversees student festivals featuring music, dance, and campus decoration.
I integrate contemporary themes with the motifs and techniques of Mughal miniature painting. My work explores the contradictions between tradition and modernity, often using red to symbolize terrorist violence in Pakistan. I am a politically conscious artist creating for both local and global identities.
— Imran Qureshi