Eqbal Mehdi was born in 1946 in Amroha, India and was a trained realist painter. The artist was influenced by the work of old masters particularly Rembrandt and Andrew Wyeth. During his lifetime Eqbal Mehdi received several awards for his outstanding drawings, and was commissioned by art collectors and organizations to paint portraits on large scale. A retrospective of his paintings was held at the Arts Council Karachi. Mehdi was also known for his pen and ink drawings and was the Recipient of the Pride of Performance award. In his lifetime Eqbal Mehdi had held exhibitions in Delhi, Tokyo, Washington, Paris, Riyadh and Hong Kong.