Contents
Zainul Abedin
His stark drawings of the 1943 Bengal famine and pioneering modern art education in Bangladesh.
Famine sketches · Nabanna
- Born
- 29 December 1914
- Birthplace
- Mymensingh region, Bangladesh
- Died
- 28 May 1976
More people
Zainul Abedin
Zainul Abedin was a Bangladeshi painter whose work centred rural life, labour and human suffering.
Early life
River landscape
The Brahmaputra and its surroundings shaped his early visual world.
Art school
Entered Calcutta’s Government School of Art in 1933.
Career
- 1938
Early recognition
Won a gold medal for watercolours of the Brahmaputra.
- 1948
Dhaka institute
Helped establish the city’s art school.
- 1975
Folk-art museum
Helped establish the museum at Sonargaon.
Selected work
Famine sketches
Drew starving people using ink on inexpensive paper.
Nabanna
Created a long scroll responding to rural life and mass political mobilisation.
Manpura
Commemorated victims of the devastating cyclone.
Beyond work
Cultural identity
Supported the Bengali language and cultural movements.
Family
Married Jahanara Abedin; they had three sons.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Identity and date cross-check ↗Photo: Mainul Abedin. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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