Syed Abdullah Khalid ( — 20 May 2017) was a Bangladeshi sculptor and painter. He was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

in February 2017.

Early life and education

Khalid was born in

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

in the then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He completed his BFA in painting in 1969 from East Pakistan College of Arts and Crafts (presently

Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka The Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA) was established in 1948 as the Dhaka Art School. It was the first art school in the region and became the main centre of art and cultural practice. Since 1956 it has been situated in Shahbag, Dhaka, close to the Ban ...

) and did his MFA in painting and sculpture from the

University of Chittagong The University of Chittagong ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, caṭṭagram bishwabidyalay) is a public research university with multidisciplinary faculties situated across a 1754-acres hilly landmas ...

in 1974.

Career and work

Khalid's works included distinctive commissions like ''

Aparajeyo Bangla ''Aparajeyo Bangla'' ( bn, অপরাজেয় বাংলা) is one of the most well known sculptures dedicated to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It is located in the campus of Dhaka University, just in front of the Faculty of Art ...

'', a monument on liberation war of Bangladesh in the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

campus (1973–79), the terracotta relief on socio-cultural heritage at the

Bangladesh Bank Bangladesh Bank ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক) is the central bank of Bangladesh and is a member of the Asian Clearing Union. It is fully owned by the Government of Bangladesh. The bank is active in developing green banki ...

headquarters (1995–96) and a 447 square foot mural ''Abahaman Bangla'' at the

Bangladesh Television Bangladesh Television ( bn, বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন), commonly known by its acronym BTV ( bn, বিটিভি), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East ...

Center (1974). Khalid had exhibited solo three times since and he was awarded first prize in the Second National Sculpture Exhibition organized by the

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy ( bn, শিল্পকলা একাডেমি; National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts) is the principal state-sponsored national cultural center of Bangladesh. History It is the national academy of f ...

in 1983. At various times he was nominated judge by

for national level exhibitions. In 1987 he was appointed team leader for participation in SAARC Workshop on Traditional Terracotta held in Madras, India. His works can be seen in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, the Prime Minister's Residence and other important private and institutional collections. Khalid was a professor of sculpture at Institute of Fine Arts, the

till 2012.

Honors

The

issued a commemorative stamp (1990–91) and a silver coin (1998) showing Khalid's most notable work, ''Aparajeyo Bangla''. He was awarded

Shilpakala Padak Shilpakala Padak is an award instituted by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) to recognize ten established artists for their contributions to the fields of Bangladeshi arts, theater, music, dance, instrumental music, folk music and film and other ...

in 2014 and

in 2017.

Death

Khalid was taken to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

's Central Hospital on 2 May 2017 from complications of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

and then transferred to

BIRDEM BIRDEM, the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders at Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a 600-bed multidisciplinary hospital complex of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh. The hospital ...

's intensive care unit on 10 May. He died on 20 May at the age of 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalid, Syed Abdullah 1942 births 2017 deaths Bangladeshi sculptors Bangladeshi painters University of Dhaka alumni University of Dhaka Faculty of Fine Arts alumni Academic staff of the University of Chittagong Recipients of the Ekushey Padak People from Sylhet Division Respiratory disease deaths in Bangladesh Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease