Artist Qayyum Chowdhury dies

Eminent artist Qayyum Chowdhury died on Sunday night after he felt sick while addressing the Bengal Classical Music Festival. He was 82. He was survived by wife and a son and host of friends, well-wishers to mourn his death. His body was kept at mortuary of Square Hospital. The artist collapsed on stage at about 8:40pm after addressing the audience on the third day of the festival being held at Army Stadium in Dhaka. He was rushed to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka cantonment where doctors declared him dead, a physician at the hospital told New Age. The artist collapsed and felt unconscious soon after he had finished his speech but went back to add, ‘I have something I want to say,’ said AKM Atikuzzaman Russell, an audience there. He soon fell unconscious and suffered a bad fall, while Dhaka University professor emeritus Anisuzzaman was waiting near the stage to make his speech. The artiest spoke on the history of arts’ practice in Bangladesh in his speech. He said that music of Abdul Alim inspired him to portray the Bangladesh in his canvas. Artist Qayyum Chowdhury was conferred with Independence Award, Sufia Kamal Award, Shaheed Altaf Mahmud Padak and several other awards for his contribution to arts and culture. He also won innumerable awards including Imperial Court Prize, Tehran Biennale in 1966, Gold medal for book design from National Book Centre in 1975, Leipzig Book Fair Prize for Book Illustration, 6th Bangabandhu Award in 1994 and the Sultan Padak in 1999. He took part in the Liberation War and had been active in all democratic, progressive and pro-liberation movements. Qayyum Chowdhury is one of the most celebrated contemporary Bangladeshi artists. His immense contribution to Bangladeshi art, over the last six decades, has earned him international acclaim as well. Chowdhury was born in 1932 in Feni. He graduated from Government Institute of Arts (now Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) in 1954. The artist has held four solo exhibitions and he has participated in many group exhibitions at home and abroad. Qayyum Chowdhury’s boyhood was spent in various towns including Chittagong, Comilla, Narail, Sanwdeep, Noakhali, Feni, Faridpur and Mymensingh. He also designed and illustrated several hundred covers of renowned books of renowned writers. He taught at Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University for 37 years and retired as a professor in 1997. His works delve deep into folk, rustic life and traditions. Over the years, his use of colours and geometric forms has been applauded. Fish, flowers, women, birds and greenery are recurring objects on his canvas.

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