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Bangladesh borders India on all sides except for a small border with Burma. Its name means “Country of Bengal” in Bengali. It’s a country that has seen more than its share of natural disasters, political turmoil and poverty. It’s also a country that perseveres. In the past 10 years, the  number of people living under the poverty line has declined by 20%, the literacy rate doubled, infant mortality was more than halved, and life expectancy rose by 13 years.

Bangladesh’s rich tradition of art has also persevered over the years. Its modern art pioneered by artists like Zainul Abedin, who earned worldwide fame through his stunning sketches of the Bengal famine in 1943. Others on the front line of the modern art movement were: Quamrul Hassan, Shafiuddin Ahmed, and S.M. Sultan.

When listing important visual artists of Bangladesh, the list would be incomplete if we didn’t include: Qayyum Chowdhury, Murtaza Baseer, Aminul Islam, Debdas Chakraborty, Kazi Abdul Baset, Syed Jahangir, Shahabuddin Ahmed, and Mohammad Kibria.

Modern Art Pioneers:

Zainul Abedin, Bangladeshi, 1914-1976, The Rebel Cow

Quamrul Hassan, Bangladeshi, 1921-1988

Shafiuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi

S.M. Sultan (Sheikh Mohammed Sultan), Bangladeshi, b. 1923

Other Famous Artists:

Qayyum Chowdhury, Bangladeshi

Murtaza Baseer, Bangladeshi, b. 1932

Aminul Islam, Bangladeshi

Debdas Chakraborty, Bangladeshi

Kazi Abdul Baset, Bangladeshi

Syed Jahangir, Bangladeshi, b. 1935

Shahabuddin Ahmed, Bangladeshi, b. 1950, Advance-2. Shahabuddin Ahmed is a world renowned painter born in Bangladesh in 1950. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Dhaka and later moved to Paris.

Mohammad Kibria, Bangladeshi, 1929 – 2011

What do you think? Did we miss any artists? Leave your comments in the box below.