KARACHI: In what he calls a “labor of love and respect,” Pakistani bas-relief sculptor Khalil Najmi has carved a special set of portraits of King Salman that he hopes to present to the Saudi monarch as a gift on his birthday tomorrow, December 31.
Najmi has been working as a bas artist since the 1980s, painting and carving portraits of world leaders that have been acquired by diplomats and top Pakistani government and military officials. But the greatest honor of his life, the artist says, is if he can present his work to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques “as a birthday gift.”
“The portraits of Saudi leadership are the outcome of three years of a labor of love and respect,” Najmi told Arab News earlier this month.
He said he had spent three years working on relief portraits of King Salman, his late father and the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The three sets of portraits of the Saudi leaders are made in wood, bronze and fiber resin. The resin ones Najmi has painted to achieve a three-dimensional photo effect.

“For the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, every Pakistani holds deep love and respect,” he said. “I want to touch the hearts of Saudis through my art work.”
Najmi’s work also includes portraits of UAE leaders Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, and Sultan Qaboos of Oman.
In an interview with Arab News in September, when asked about his ultimate dream as an acclaimed artist, he said he wanted to present the portraits of Saudi leaders to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
“I have produced these portraits with great love for the Saudi royal family,” he said. “I hope he can graciously grant me the honor to personally present them to him as a souvenir.”