Novera Ahmed

Novera Ahmed
Born 1939
Calcutta, British India
Died May 5, 2015(2015-05-05) (age 76)
Chantemesle, Haute-Isle, France
Alma mater Camberwell College of Arts
Occupation sculptor, painter
Spouse(s) Grégoire de Brouhns (m. 1984; wid. 2015)

Novera Ahmed (1939 – 5 May 2015) was a modern sculptor of Bangladesh.[1] She was awarded Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 1997.[2] Artist Zainul Abedin described her work saying "What Novera is doing now will take us a long time to understand – she is that kind of an artist.".[3]

Early life and education

Novera Ahmed's ancestral home was in Chittagong.[2] But she was born in Calcutta. Ahmed studied in Calcutta and Comilla. In 1955 she was awarded a Diploma in Design in the Modeling and Sculpture course from Camberwell College of Arts in London. At Camberwell she studied under the British sculptor Jacob Epstein and Karel Vogel of Czechoslovakia. She studied European sculpture under the sculptor Venturino Venturi in Florence and later in Vienna. She was influenced by many western modern sculptors such as Henry Moore.[1]

Career

Ahmed jointly worked with Hamidur Rahman on the original design of the Shaheed Minar, Dhaka. During 1956-1960, she had done about 100 sculptures in Dhaka. Out of her 100 sculptures, 33 sculptures are currently in Bangladesh National Museum. Ahmed's first exhibition was held in University of Dhaka in 1960.[2] Another exhibition of her works was held in Lahore in 1961. Her last exhibition was also held in Paris in July 1973.[2]

Personal life

Ahmed was married to a police officer in mid 1945 in Calcutta.[4] The couple got divorced in late 1945.[4] Ahmed later married Gregoire de Brouhns in 1984.[3]

Health issues

Ahmed suffered a stroke in 2010 and she was in a wheelchair since then.[3] She died on May 6, 2015 at a hospital in Paris, France at the age of 76.[5]

Notes

^ Novera was born in 1939 according to Anna Islam, art critic, writer and wife of artist Shahbuddin.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 UNB (July 11, 2013). "Highlighting Novera’s life and works". The Daily Star.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pioneer sculptor Novera Ahmed dies in Paris". bdnews.com. May 7, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Novera, pioneer of progressiveness in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. May 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Hye, Hasnat. Novera. p. 389.
  5. ↑ "Sculptor Novera passes away". The Daily Star. May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.

Further reading


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