WORLD'S TOP AFGHAN ART HISTORIAN

Hamid Naweed

Afghan-American art historian, author, poet, and award-winning screenwriter

 

     When Afghan movie star Leena Alam told me about the many great works of Hamid Naweed, I knew that the hardest part would be deciding which of them to write about first.  When she said that Professor Naweed has just made history by publishing two groundbreaking new books on the history of Afghan art, I decided to start with that.   

   

     Professor Hamid Naweed is so many things.  He is a world-class art historian.  He is an adventurer, artist, author, and poet. He is an award-winning screenwriter, professor, cultural expert, and media personality.  He is the very definition of an Ustad,  استاد one of the most honored titles an Afghan can have. “Ustad” is the title Afghans give to an esteemed professor, art master, music maestro, or a master of other learned crafts.

 

     In the 1970s Ustad Naweed was a popular professor in the Fine Arts Department of Kabul University. He taught Art History, Color Theory, Studio Arts, and Art Appreciation, and was widely known and respected in his field.  He accompanied the famed Louis and Nancy Dupree to remote sites in Afghanistan during some of their archaeological work.... (more)     

 

Read Hamid Naweed's interview with Edward Zellem

"Top Afghan Art Historian Makes Global Art History"