Overview

Beautifully illustrated, this is the first volume in the groundbreaking Great Masters of Bangladesh series of monographs. The genesis of the modern art movement in Bangladesh traces back to the partition of India (1947) and the establishment of the Dhaka Art Institute in 1948 by 'Shilpacharya' Zainul Abedin and several of his contemporaries. This pioneering group included, among others, Safiuddin Ahmed, Anwarul Haque and Quamrul Hassan. Over the years, these dedicated visionaries and the institution they established have produced talented artists, many of whom have earned recognition at home and abroad. This book explores Safiuddin Ahmed's extraordinary contribution to Bangladeshi art and society, in a series of drawings, paintings, woodcuts and etchings, with more than two hundred colour plates tracing a lifetime of artistic achievements, that is virtually unknown in the West. Ahmed's works portray swirling, vigorous forms and motifs, with spectacular symbols, such as eyes, fishing nets and boats; continuously evoking the anxiety and disquiet of the times. For over sixty years, he has led the way in developing painting and printmaking in Bangladesh. Sophistication, a deep love of music, and a strong inclination to literature, is what underpins Ahmed's approach to life while his struggle for purity has always been his hallmark.

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The Bengal Foundation in Dhaka was established by art connoisseur Abul Khair in the late 1980s, as a private trust dedicated to the promotion and development of art and culture in Bangladesh. Its aim is to encourage a regional exchange of ideas and practices and to present Bangladesh's cultural heritage to the world. The Foundation is currently building the largest private arts museum in South Asia on the banks of the Bangshi River in Bangladesh. Its own Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, regularly showcases the works of this country's great masters and contemporary artists. Rosa Maria Falvo is a writer and curator specializing in Asian contemporary art. She curates exhibitions of the work of a variety of contemporary artists from this region.

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