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ARTIST PROFILE · SARASWATI FOUNDATION

Kamrul Hassan

A leading modern artist of Bangladesh, known for bringing folk forms into modern painting and for politically charged images that became part of the country’s public history.

Biography

Kamrul Hassan (1921–1988), also widely written as Quamrul Hassan, was born in Kolkata and became one of the defining modern artists of Bangladesh. After studying at the Government School of Art in Calcutta, he moved to Dhaka following Partition and helped establish its art school with Zainul Abedin. His practice drew on Bengal’s folk painting and pata traditions while adapting them to modern forms. He also made powerful political posters and cartoons during the 1971 Liberation War, and contributed to national design in Bangladesh.

Kamrul Hassan, Artwork 175

Awards & Honours

  • President’s Gold Medal, 1965
  • Comilla Foundation Gold Medal, 1977
  • Independence Day Award, 1979
  • Bangladesh Charu Shilpi Sangsad Honour, 1984
  • Kazi Mahbubullah Trust Gold Medal, 1987

Exhibitions & Residencies

  • Solo exhibitions in Dhaka, 1955, 1964, 1973 and 1975
  • Solo exhibition, Rawalpindi, 1969
  • Solo exhibition, Rangoon, 1975
  • Solo exhibition, London, 1979

Selected Works

Kamrul Hassan — Artwork 175 · View collection work

Ink contour portrait study, listed by the Foundation as acrylic on canvas, 30.48 × 25.4 cm.

Research

Banglapedia biography and exhibition history · Bengal Foundation artist profile