Zainul Abedin

For other people with similar names, see Zayn al-Abidin (disambiguation).

Shilpacharya
Zainul Abedin
জয়নুল আবেদিন
Abedin in 1955
Born(1914-12-29)29 December 1914
East Mymensingh, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died28 May 1976(1976-05-28) (aged 61)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Education
Known forPainting, drawing
Notable work
  • The Struggle
  • Rebel cow
  • Famine paintings
  • Nobanno
  • Study of a Crow
  • Two faces
Children3
Awards

Zainul Abedin (29 December 1914 – 28 May 1976), also known as Shilpacharya (Master of Art) was a Bangladeshi painter. He became well known in 1944 through his series of paintings depicting some of the great famines in Bengal during its British colonial period. After the Partition of Indian subcontinent he moved to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1948, he helped to establish the Institute of Arts and Crafts (now Faculty of Fine Arts) at the University of Dhaka.[1] The Indian Express has described him as a legendary Bangladeshi painter and activist.[2] Like many of his contemporaries, his paintings on the Bengal famine of 1943 are viewed as his most characteristic works. His homeland honored him with the title "Shilpacharya" (Bengali: শিল্পাচার্য) "Great teacher of the arts" for his artistic and visionary attributes.[3][4][5] He was the pioneer of the modern art movement that took place in Bangladesh and was rightly considered by Syed Manzoorul Islam as the founding father of Bangladeshi modern arts, soon after Bangladesh earned the status of an independent republic.[6]

In September 2024, Abedin's painting Untitled (1970) was sold for US$692,048 at the "Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art" auction, organised by Sotheby's in London.[7] It was the highest price ever paid for a Bangladeshi artwork at auction.[8] Earlier in March, his work Santal Couples (1963) was sold for US$381,000 at Sotheby's, New York.[9] It was painted on canvas with oil colours.[9]

  1. ^ Alom, Zahangir (29 December 2015). "Homage to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. ^ Sinha, Nidhi (27 August 2014). "Celebrating the work of Bangladeshi painter and activist Zainul Abedin". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Noor pays tribute to Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  4. ^ "'Zainul's devotion to art never bothered me,' says Jahanara". Weekly Holiday. Dhaka: Holiday Publication Limited. 11 December 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Pho Photography exhibition on Zainul's life begins at DU". Bdnews24.com. Dhaka. 28 December 2005. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Zainul Abedin". artist.christies.com. Christie's. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Zainul Abedin's art breaks auction records, fetching over $600,000 at Sotheby's". The Daily Star. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Zainul Abedin's art breaks auction records, fetching over $600,000 at Sotheby's". The Daily Star. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Zainul Abedin's painting sold for record $381,000". The Daily Star. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.