Esther Rahim
Encyclopedia
Esther Rahim
Esther Rahim (25 June 1904, Munich
, German Empire
- 31 March 1963, Paris
, France
), also known as Esmet Rahim, was a significant Pakistani painter.
, German Empire
(now Germany
), she was the first child of Joseph Joesten and his wife, Amalia. At the age of eighteen, she started studying art in Düsseldorf
(Germany
) and took courses in sculpture under Bourdelle in Paris
(France
). In 1929, she obtained a Ph.D. from Munich University in psychology.
), who was continuing his chemistry
studies after having obtained a degree at Cambridge University. Together with her husband, who joined the Indian Civil Service, she went to Madras (India
) in 1931. Her first child (Razia) was born in 1932. With her husband, she moved to Calcutta (India) in 1936 and to Delhi
(India) after the birth of her son, (Sikander) in 1939. The couple were divorced in 1945. Nevertheless, she followed her former husband to Egypt
, (Cairo
and Alexandria
). In 1952, she left Egypt to settle in Europe where she remarried her former husband and settled in Brussels
(Belgium
) before her husband was transferred to Karachi
(Pakistan
). In 1955, Esther Rahim moved to Bonn
(Germany
) where her husband became the Pakistan Ambassador to Germany. Following her husband, who became Ambassador to France, she moved to Paris in 1962 where she died in 1963. Razia died in 1951. Sikander, a retired economist from the World Bank, lives in Munich and is married to Rose-Marie Brierre.
Esther Rahim (25 June 1904, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
- 31 March 1963, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), also known as Esmet Rahim, was a significant Pakistani painter.
Early life and education
Born Esther Joesten in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
(now Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), she was the first child of Joseph Joesten and his wife, Amalia. At the age of eighteen, she started studying art in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and took courses in sculpture under Bourdelle in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). In 1929, she obtained a Ph.D. from Munich University in psychology.
Married life
In 1929, she married Jalaludin Abdur Rahim (a.k.a. J A Rahim, one of the founding members of the Pakistan Peoples PartyPakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
), who was continuing his chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
studies after having obtained a degree at Cambridge University. Together with her husband, who joined the Indian Civil Service, she went to Madras (India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) in 1931. Her first child (Razia) was born in 1932. With her husband, she moved to Calcutta (India) in 1936 and to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
(India) after the birth of her son, (Sikander) in 1939. The couple were divorced in 1945. Nevertheless, she followed her former husband to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, (Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
). In 1952, she left Egypt to settle in Europe where she remarried her former husband and settled in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) before her husband was transferred to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
(Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). In 1955, Esther Rahim moved to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) where her husband became the Pakistan Ambassador to Germany. Following her husband, who became Ambassador to France, she moved to Paris in 1962 where she died in 1963. Razia died in 1951. Sikander, a retired economist from the World Bank, lives in Munich and is married to Rose-Marie Brierre.
Further reading
- Travels Mundane and Surreal - The Art of Esther Rahim (ISBN 969-35-1900-0) by Sikandar Rahim, Salima HashmiSalima HashmiSalima Hashmi is a Pakistani painter, artist, writer, anti-nuclear weapon activist and a professor who served for four years as the head of the National College of Arts...
, Naazish Ata-Ullah. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel 2006