Amwar Jalal Shemza Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Amwar Jalal Shemza Art Value Price Guide

Jun. 02, 2026
Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) Untitled (Abstract)
Est: £6,000 - £8,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) Untitled (Abstract) signed and dated 'Shemza 1983' in Urdu lower left mixed media on paper pasted on card, framed 21.5 x 12.9cm (8 7/16 x 5 1/16in). ~For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Jun. 02, 2026
Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) Untitled (Face)
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) Untitled (Face) signed and dated 'Shemza 1956' in Urdu lower left gouache on watercolour paper, framed 33.9 x 24.2cm (13 3/8 x 9 1/2in). ~For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Sep. 17, 2025
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985). Untitled (Roots Series). gouache and ink on
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985). Untitled (Roots Series). gouache and ink on handmade paper laid on card15 ½ x 12 7/8 in. (39.4 x 32.7 cm.) image; 19 7/8 x 15 1/8 in. (50.5 x 38.4 cm.) sheet.
Christie's
Sep. 17, 2025
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985). Untitled. felt-pen and gouache on handmade
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985). Untitled. felt-pen and gouache on handmade paper laid on card5 ¼ x 5 3/8 in. (13.3 x 13.6 cm.) sheet.
Christie's
Dec. 10, 2024
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chess carpet no. 3 (Diptych)
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chess carpet no. 3 (Diptych) signed and dated in Urdu ' Shemza 1968' upper right mixed media on cloth, framed 34.5 x 37.8cm (13 9/16 x 14 7/8in).
Bonhams
Jul. 11, 2024
λ ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (BRITISH 1928-1985), PAINTING 1959
Est: £20,000 - £30,000
λ ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (BRITISH 1928-1985)PAINTING 1959Oil on canvasSigned and dated in Urdu (lower left); further signed, inscribed and dated 59 (verso)84 x 64cm (33 x 25 in.)Provenance:Denis BowenAcquired from the above by the present ownerExhibited: New Vision Centre Gallery, A.J.Shemza, 1959London, Commonwealth Institute, Commonwealth Vision, 1961 (illustrated in catalogue)Bristol, Royal Commonwealth Society, Centenary Exhibition, 1968Jarrow, Bede Gallery, New Vision 56-66, 1984, no. 45 Born in Simla, India, in 1928, Anwar Shemza initially studied Philosophy and languages at Punjab University before enrolling at the Mayo School of Art in Lahore. Graduating in 1947 he opened the Shemza Commercial Art Studio there and as an artist, poet and writer he quickly became a central figure in the cultural life of Pakistan. In 1956, he left Lahore to study at the Slade School of Art in London where his work began to fuse the earlier literary and artistic influences from Lahore with imagery and techniques that he discovered in the Museums and Galleries of London, most notably those of Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian . The Art Historian, Professor Iftikhar Dadi, describes Shemza's work from this period as Calligraphic Modernism, observing that among the lessons he learned from Klee was the importance of surface as the plane of modernist experimentation rather than a stress on modelling and the freedom and ability to deploy abstraction, geometry and pattern - much of it derived from Islamic art - towards modernist exploration.(I.Dadi, Calligraphic Abstraction: Anwar Jalal Shemza, London, 2015, p.12)Indeed Shemza's work from the late 1950s and early 1960s uniquely explores and celebrates his past and present artistic experiences while fighting the insular attitudes of the Post War British art establishment. His past successes in Lahore found admirers in the likes of Denis Bowen at the New Vision Centre Gallery and Victor Musgrave at Gallery One, however more mainstream galleries and critics were dismissive and hostile. As the artist and curator of the Hayward Gallery 1989 exhibition, The Other Story, Raheed Araeen observed; Although Anwar Jalal Shemza belongs to that generation of artists who arrived here in the 50s and who had already established themselves in their countries of origin, his experience in Britain led him to an entirely different direction to his contemporaries. But his experience was not unique. Almost every Afro-Asian artist must have his or her own story to tell: how their dreams and aspirations were shattered, how they had to recover their confidence in themselves, their identity as human beings and as artists; and how the memory of their own cultures played an important role in this recovery.(Rasheed Araeen, The Other Story, Exhibition Catalogue, The Hayward Gallery, London, 1989) Shemza's work has been exhibited widely including The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain, at the Hayward Gallery, London, 1989; Anwar Shemza, at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 1997; Anwar Shemza, at the Tate Britain, 2015; and Postwar: Art Between the Pacific and the Atlantic, 1945-1965, at Haus der Kunst, Munich, 2016.Works are also held in the permanent collections of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Tate Gallery, London, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Lahore Museum, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Islamabad, the Sharjah Art Foundation, and the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.
Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales
Sep. 20, 2023
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Magic Carpet Series) ink on paper
Est: $10,000 - $15,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Magic Carpet Series) ink on paper 11 ¾ x 13 3/8 in. (29.8 x 34 cm.)
Christie's
Jun. 06, 2023
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chess carpet no. 3 (Diptych)
Est: £15,000 - £25,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chess carpet no. 3 (Diptych) signed and dated in Urdu ' Shemza 1968' upper right mixed media on cloth, framed 34.5 x 37.8cm (13 9/16 x 14 7/8in).
Bonhams
Jun. 06, 2023
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chessmen
Est: £30,000 - £50,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Chessmen signed and dated in Urdu 'Shemza 1965' upper left oil on canvas, framed 70 x 34.2cm (27 9/16 x 13 7/16in).
Bonhams
Mar. 22, 2023
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) The Page silkscreen print on paper 15 1/2 x
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) The Page silkscreen print on paper 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. (39.4 x 29.2 cm.) image; 17 3/8 x 12 1/4 in. (44.1 x 31.1 cm) sheet
Christie's
Sep. 21, 2022
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Couple) oil on canvas 20 1/4 x 17
Est: $25,000 - $35,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Couple) oil on canvas 20 1/4 x 17 1/4 (51.4 x 43.8 cm.)
Christie's
May. 24, 2022
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Untitled (The Walls of Lahore)
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Untitled (The Walls of Lahore) signed 'Anwar Jalal Shemza' and dated '1963' in Urdu upper right ink on paper 54.5 x 42.9cm (21 7/16 x 16 7/8in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
May. 24, 2022
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) The Orchard
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) The Orchard signed 'Shemza' and dated '1974' in Urdu lower right ink and gouache on paper 39 x 52cm (15 3/8 x 20 1/2in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
May. 24, 2022
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Blue Vase
Est: £40,000 - £50,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (British Pakistani, 1928-1985) Blue Vase signed and dated 'A Shemza 55, lower left oil on canvas on board 61 x 48.2cm (24 x 19in). For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Sep. 22, 2021
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) City Wall oil on board 22 x 10 in. (55.9 x 2
Est: $30,000 - $50,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) City Wall oil on board 22 x 10 in. (55.9 x 25.4 cm.)
Christie's
Sep. 22, 2021
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled oil on canvas laid on board 24 ¾ x
Est: $60,000 - $80,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled oil on canvas laid on board 24 ¾ x 33 7/8 in. (62.9 x 86 cm. )
Christie's
Jun. 11, 2019
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Composition) oil on canvas laid on board 19 ¾ x 15 7/8 in. (50.2 x 40.3 cm.)
Est: £25,000 - £35,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Composition) oil on canvas laid on board 19 ¾ x 15 7/8 in. (50.2 x 40.3 cm.)
Christie's
Mar. 18, 2019
ANWAR JELAL SHEMZA | Five Chairs; Interior
Est: $8,000 - $12,000
Acquaint on paper; Aquatint and Intaglio on paper
Sotheby's
Oct. 24, 2018
A.J. Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985) Blue Poem, 1968
Est: £5,000 - £7,000
A.J. Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985) Blue Poem, 1968 Signed in Urdu and dated 1968 lower leftInk on paper43 x 57cm (16 15/16 x 22 7/16in).
Bonhams
Jun. 12, 2018
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) - Untitled (Tablet for Contemplation)
Est: £8,000 - £12,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Tablet for Contemplation) oil and acrylic on canvas mounted on board 12 x 12 in. (30.5 x 30.5 cm.)
Christie's
Sep. 13, 2017
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Head)
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Head) signed and dated in Urdu (lower left) pastel and gouache on paper 14 x 10 in. (35.5 x 25.5 cm.) Executed in 1956
Christie's
May. 25, 2017
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled oil on canvas 30 x 24 7/8 in. (76.2 x 63.2 cm.)
Christie's
May. 24, 2017
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) The Page Signed and dated 1984 in
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) The Page Signed and dated 1984 in Urdu lower left. Further inscribed 1 of 50 in Urdu lower right Silkscreen on paper 41.5 x 30cm (16 5/16 x 11 13/16in).
Bonhams
Nov. 22, 2016
* ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Circuit 4
Est: £2,000 - £4,000
* ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Circuit 4 Signed and dated 1983 in Urdu lower left, further signed, dated and titled in English on reverse Gouache and ink on paper 30.5 x 13.9cm (12 x 5 1/2in).
Bonhams
Nov. 22, 2016
* ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Golden Roots
Est: £2,000 - £4,000
* ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Golden Roots Signed and dated 1983 in Urdu lower left, further signed, dated and titled in English on reverse Ink on paper 22 x 16 cm (8 11/16 x 6 5/16in).
Bonhams
Nov. 22, 2016
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Untitled (Triptych)
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Untitled (Triptych) Signed and dated 1979 in Urdu lower right and further signed and dated 1979 in English on reverse. Further inscribed Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me 􀀍 􀁑ust be my friend. - Albert Camus’ on reverse Mixed media on cloth mounted on board Each panel 14 x 33.4cm (5 1/2 x 13 3/20in) Entire work 45.5 x 33.4cm (17 9/10 x 13 3/20in).
Bonhams
Sep. 11, 2016
SHEMZA, Anwar Jalal (Pakistan 1928-1985)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
SHEMZA, Anwar Jalal (Pakistan 1928-1985) Composition. Inscribed lower left. Mixed Media on Paper 35.5x25.5cm
Davidson Auctions
May. 27, 2016
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Untitled
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (PAKISTAN, 1928-1985) Untitled Signed and dated 1961 in Urdu upper left Oil on hand dyed cloth laid on board 45 x 42.5cm (17 11/16 x 16 3/4in). Provenance Private collection From the collection of the late M. P. Bhendara, an industrialist , politician and a celebrated art collector who passed away in 2013. Acquired from the estate of the above by Modern Art Gallery Lok Versa, Islamabad, 2014 Anwar Jelal Shemza is a featured artist of BP Spotlights at Tate Britain. His works will be on view until Autumn 2016.
Bonhams
Jun. 11, 2015
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985) The Gate
Est: -
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985) The Gate
Bonhams
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA
Est: £8,000 - £12,000
1929 - 1985 UNTITLED Signed and dated in Urdu lower left Acrylic on canvas board 37 by 37 cm. (14 1/2 by 14 1/2 in.); 37 by 37 cm. (14 1/2 by 14 1/2 in.); 37 by 37 cm. (14 1/2 by 14 1/2 in.); Painted in 1962
Sotheby's
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE UK COLLECTOR 1929 - 1985 UNTITLED Signed and dated in Urdu lower right Silkscreen print on paper Edition 1 of 10 47.7 by 61 cm. (18 5/8 by 24 in.) Executed in 1968
Sotheby's
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTOR 1929 - 1985 UNTITLED Signed and dated in Urdu upper left Ink and gouache on paper 38.1 by 26.7 cm. (15 by 10 1/2 in.) Executed in 1963
Sotheby's
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA
Est: £3,000 - £5,000
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE UK COLLECTOR 1929 - 1985 UNTITLED Quantity: 2 Signed and dated in Urdu lower left Silkscreen print on paper Edition 1 of 25; 4 of 25 45 by 30 cm. (17 3/4 by 11 3/4 in.) each Executed in 1962
Sotheby's
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985)
Est: -
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Red and Blue Composition) signed and dated in Urdu (lower left); further signed, titled and dated '2. RED & BLUE COMPOSITION Shemza 1965' (on the reverse) ink on hand made paper laid on card 13¼ x 20½ in. (33.6 x 52.1 cm.) image; 17 x 23 1/8 in. (43.2 x 58.7 cm.) sheet Executed in 1965
Christie's
Jun. 11, 2013
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985)
Est: -
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Green & Red Composition signed and dated in Urdu (upper left); further titled, signed and dated '3. GREEN & RED COMPOSITION SHEMZA 1965' (on the reverse) oil on cloth laid on board 21 3/8 x 17¼ in. (54.1 x 43.9 cm.) image; 22 x 18 in. (55.9 x 45.7 cm.) board Executed in 1965
Christie's
Apr. 23, 2013
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985)
Est: £800 - £1,200
Untitled, silkscreen print on paper, framed, 59.1 x 44.4cm (23 1/4 x 17 1/2in).
Bonhams
Apr. 23, 2013
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985)
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
Untitled, triptych, mixed media on cloth mounted on board, signed and dated 1979 in Urdu, signed and dated Anwar Jalal Shemza/1979, personal message from the artist dated 1989 and Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow./Don't walk behind me, I may not lead./Walk beside me & just be my friend./ - Albert Camus inscribed on reverse, framed, each panel 14 x 33.4cm (5 1/2 x 13 3/20in); entire work 45.5 x 33.4cm (17 9/10 x 13 3/20in).
Bonhams
Sep. 12, 2012
Anwar Jelal Shemza (1928-1985) White Palace, oil
Est: £1,000 - £1,500
Anwar Jelal Shemza (1928-1985) White Palace, oil on canvas, laid onto board, signed and dated upper left, 1964, 20 x 32cm (8 x 12 3/4 in), unframed.
Dreweatts 1759
Jun. 07, 2012
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985)
Est: £1,500 - £2,500
Untitled, gouache and ink on paper, signed and dated 1963 in Urdu lower left, signed and dated Shemza/1963 in English on reverse, framed, 44.1 x 57.1cm (17 3/8 x 22 1/2in).
Bonhams
Jun. 07, 2012
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985)
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
Untitled, oil and watercolour on cloth mounted on board, signed and dated Shemza 1959 in Urdu lower left, framed, 37.4 x 48.3cm (14 3/4 x 19in).
Bonhams
Jun. 02, 2010
Anwar Jalal Shemza (Pakistan, 1928-1985) Magic Carpet 2,
Est: £800 - £1,200
Magic Carpet 2, etching and aquatint on paper, signed and dated 1959 in Urdu lower left, numbered 9/25 lower right, framed, 41 x 27cm (16 1/8 x 10 5/8in).
Bonhams
Apr. 28, 2010
ANWAR JELAL SHEMZA (PAKISTANI, 1928-1985) BLUE ABSTRACT 37cm x 25cm (14.5in x 10in)
Est: £2,000 - £3,000
ANWAR JELAL SHEMZA (PAKISTANI, 1928-1985) BLUE ABSTRACT Signed, collage and mixed media 37cm x 25cm (14.5in x 10in)
Lyon & Turnbull
Apr. 28, 2010
ANWAR JELAL SHEMZA (PAKISTANI, 1928-1985) COMPOSITION IN RED 27cm x 23cm (10.5in x 9in)
Est: £1,500 - £2,000
ANWAR JELAL SHEMZA (PAKISTANI, 1928-1985) COMPOSITION IN RED Signed verso, oil on board 27cm x 23cm (10.5in x 9in)
Lyon & Turnbull
Jun. 11, 2008
Untitled (Linear Composition in Red and Green)
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled (Linear Composition in Red and Green) signed and dated in Urdu (lower left); signed, dated and inscribed ' 1965 Anwar Shemza linear composition in Red & Green ink on handmade paper 76 x 50.5 cms (on the reverse) ink on handmade paper 23 x 15 5/8 in. (58 x 39.6 cm.) Painted in 1965
Christie's
Jun. 11, 2008
Untitled (Still Life)
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
Anwar Jalal Shemza (1928-1985) Untitled (Still Life) signed and dated in Urdu (upper left); signed and dated again 'Shemza 65' (on the reverse) mixed media on handmade paper 23 7/8 x 18 1/8 in. (60.8 x 46 cm.) Executed in 1965
Christie's
Mar. 20, 2008
Royal Family
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Royal Family signed, titled, dated and inscribed 'A. Shemza Royal Family 1977 21 x 30 ' (on the reverse) mixed media on paper 11½ x 8¼ in. (21 x 30 cm.) Executed in 1977
Christie's
Mar. 20, 2008
Anarkali
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Anarkali signed and dated in Urdu (lower left); signed, dated and inscribed 'A. Shemza "ANARKALI" 1979 30 x 21 cms (on the reverse) mixed media on paper 14¾ x 11 in. (30 x 21 cm.) Executed in 1979
Christie's
Mar. 20, 2008
Untitled
Est: $6,000 - $8,000
ANWAR JALAL SHEMZA (1928-1985) Untitled signed and dated '1959' in Urdu (upper right) mixed media on canvas 18 7/8 x 7 in. (48 x 17.8 cm.) each Executed in 1959
Christie's