Zainul Abedin – Short Biography (English)

Zainul Abedin (1914–1976) was a famous Bangladeshi artist and is known as the pioneer of modern art in Bangladesh. He is often called the “Shilpacharya” (Great Teacher of Arts).

He was born on 29 December 1914 in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. From his childhood, he was inspired by the natural beauty of the river Brahmaputra, which later became a major theme in his artworks. He studied at the Government School of Art in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and later developed his own realistic style of painting.

Zainul Abedin became world-famous for his Bengal Famine Sketches (1943), where he showed the suffering of starving people during the famine. These powerful drawings made him an important figure in modern art.

After the partition of India, he played a key role in developing art education in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He helped establish the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, which is now a leading art institution.

His paintings often show rural life, rivers, boats, and human struggles. He died on 28 May 1976 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

👉 He is remembered as one of the greatest artists in South Asia and a founder of modern Bangladeshi art.