Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

Creative India BENGAL | Terms & Conditions 283 282 Born: 29 December 1914, Mymensingh, present-day Bangladesh Died: 28 May 1976, Dhaka Education 1930 Escaped from home to visit the Government School of Art, Calcutta 1933 Gave up general school studies before Matriculation exams and enrolled in the Government School of Art 1933-38 Attended Government College of Arts, Calcutta 1938 Graduated in Fine Arts 1951-52 Visited England, Europe and Middle East on a Government of Pakistan scholarship. Attended the Slade School of Art, London Select Teaching and Infrastructure-building Activities 1938 Appointed teacher at Government College of Arts, Calcutta 1943 Earned recognition through his sketches of the Great Bengal Famine 1946 Participated in Arts of India Exhibition at Burlington House, London 1947 Migrated to Dhaka and joined Normal School at Armanitola, Dhaka as art teacher 1948 Pioneered the Art Movement in Bangladesh by establishing the first Art College, Dhaka 1948-67 Principal, College of Arts & Crafts, Dhaka 1948-49 Worked as Chief Designer in the Information & Publication Division of the Government of Pakistan in Karachi 1951-52 Attended the First Art Conference in Vienna held under UNESCO sponsorship 1956-57 Took a 12-month round the world trip sponsored by Rockefeller Foundation when he visited Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico & Europe 1961 Visited USSR at the invitation of the Soviet Government 1965 Visited Peshawar at the invitation of the University of Peshawar to build up Department of Art 1967 Retired as Principal of the East Pakistan College of Arts & Crafts (now Institute of Fine Art, University of Dhaka) 1968 Publication of Pakistan Art Folios: Zainul Abedin 1970 Organised the Nabanna (Harvest) Festival of Bengali artists where he painted and exhibited his 65 feet long scroll Visited the Middle East at the invitation of The Ara League and participated in the guerilla activities of the Al-Fatah 1971 Denounced the title of Hilal-e-Imtiaz and declared support of Bengali Non-Cooperation movement led by Sheikh Majibur Rehman against the Government of Yahya Khan 1972 Appointed Honorary President of Bangla Academy 1975 Founded the Folk Art Museum Sonargaon, Dhaka Founded the Zainul Abedin Sangrahasala (Art Gallery), Mymensingh Visited USSR at the invitation of the Soviet Government 1982 Gallery dedicated to Zainul Abedin at the Bangladesh Museum Select Awards and Honours 1938 Governor’s Gold Medal, Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta in the All India Art Exhibition 1943 Earned recognition through his sketches of the Great Bengal Famine 1956-7 Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship 1958 Awarded Life Membership of Fazlul Haq Hall, Dhaka University 1959 Pride of Performance Award, the highest award for creative artists, by the President of Pakistan Awarded the civilian title of ‘Hilal-e-Imtiaz’, Pakistan 1961 Decorated with a Gold Medal by USSR 1966 Appointed a Judge of the Biennale Exhibition of Paintings of RCD countries in Tehran 1967 Conferred the title of ‘Shilpacharya’ (the doyen of fine art) by his students and admirers 1972 Appointed Honorary President of Bangla Academy 1972 National Professor, Bangladesh 1972 Awarded Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) by the University of Delhi Founded the Folk Art Museum Sonargaon, Dhaka 1974 Appointed Advisory Member of Bangaldesh Shilpakala Academy Elected Member of Congress on World Unity, headquartered in Philadelphia, USA Select Solo Exhibitions 1951 Exhibition of paintings and drawings, Imperial Institute, London 1952 Exhibition of paintings and drawings, Berkeley Galleries, London Travelling exhibitions in Belgium, Paris, Ankara and Tehran 1953 Exhibition at Alhambra, Lahore 1955 Exhibition of paintings in Karachi Exhibition at Damaru Galleries, Tokyo 1957 Exhibition of 52 works at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. 1970 Exhibition of works on Guerrilla War in Arab cities 1976 Retrospective Exhibition organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Zainul Abedin