Art collector demands return of loaned artworks after NAG censors exhibition

Ahmad Fuad Osman's painting 'Syhhh...Dok Diam Diam, Jangan Bantah ...' (1999). It is one of the works loaned to the National Art Gallery for Fuad's exhibition. The art piece's owner Pakharuddin Sulaiman wants all his loaned works returned immediately after NAG censored parts of the show on Feb 4. Photo: The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

The art censorship saga and standoff between contemporary artist Ahmad Fuad Osman and the National Art Gallery (NAG) in Kuala Lumpur has taken a new twist with lawyer and prominent art collector Pakhruddin Sulaiman (better known as Pakha) demanding today that NAG returns his artworks that were loaned to Fuad's At The End Of The Day Even Art Is Not Important (1990-2019) exhibition there.

On Feb 4, NAG removed four artworks from Fuad's exhibition, and this list included the oil painting Imitating The Mountain, which belongs to Pakha.