The corner: Amir Butt

We met a man who fosters a room around his passion. Avid art collector Amir Butt takes us to his favourite space, his living room, and shares his incredible art collection

Situated in a quiet neighbourhood lies art collector Amir Butt’s warm yet visually stimulating home. He welcomes us in, and from the moment we enter it is evident that his home is an art lover’s Mecca. He ushers us to his favourite space located in the centre of his house, his living room.



The furniture is muted, while alternating walls are painted vibrant shades of orange, yellow and cream. However, what really dominates this space are the outstanding works of art cleverly placed around the room. When asked why he chose this room to be his favourite space, he shares the various sentimental memories he has attached to it: “Everything from my daughter’s twelfth birthday party, to my son’s wedding preparations and even some intimate wedding functions, took place here.” Furthermore, he spends most of his time in this living room with his family, be it for breakfast, tea or even casual family time.



The space itself speaks volumes about his passion for art. “The entire décor was done keeping the art pieces in mind. Other things in the room fell into place later.” He then tells us the rigorous process of selecting each piece of art. He made sure the various pieces were in sync and related to one another, colour-wise, theme-wise, narrative-wise.



While we chat over a cup of coffee, he shares his dreams of converting his home into an art museum one day —  which may be sooner than he plans, as already no wall goes untouched by art pieces in his remarkable collection. “You must have visited many museums abroad, have you visited any museums in Pakistan?” he asks. “As far as art museums are concerned, there is virtually no concept in Pakistan. I dream to revive this in my country.”



When asked about his favourite pieces, he picks a few works of art. What tops his list is a large turquoise painting by Mohammad Zeeshan, a prominent international contemporary artist of Pakistan: a large sculpture of a train by Idrees Hanif, who he feels is extremely important in the Pakistani art scene as there is a dire shortage of sculptors; and pieces by Khadim Ali, a renowned  Pakistani artist from the Hazara community based in Australia. Butt is the proud owner of one of the largest collections of Ali’s paintings in Pakistan. He chuckles, “I have to add they all are very special to me, which is why I chose them, invested an exorbitant amount of money on them, and adorned my favourite space with them.”