“He fell down in the bathroom after suffering a cardiac arrest around 1:30pm at his Eskaton residence. He was taken to Labaid Specialised Hospital where the doctor pronounced him dead around 2pm,” Sourav Chowdhury, the Executive Art Director of Gallery Cosmos, told UNB.
The body has been kept at BIRDEM General Hospital. His mortal remains will be cremated after his two daughters return to Bangladesh from the US.
Kalidas Karmakar was an adviser of Gallery Cosmos.
Born on January 10, 1946, in Faridpur, Kalidas completed his graduation from the Government College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1969.
He completed his pre-degree study in Fine Arts at the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University in 1964.
Kalidas Karmakar was awarded the Shilpakala Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 for his contribution to fine arts.
His diverse artworks featuring found objects, handmade paper, and oil on canvas prints have been widely exhibited throughout South Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
The artist’s very first solo art exhibition was held at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on August 7, 1976.
He won the Polish Government Scholarship in Graphic Art at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Art, Warsaw University; French Government Superior Scholarship in Fine Arts, for research in multicolour etching at Atelier-17, in Paris; Japan Foundation Fellowship on Japanese Woodblock Printing, at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music; ICCR Special Scholarship for research in Contemporary Modern Sculpture, West Bengal Lalit Kala Academy Studio; and Asian Cultural Council New York, Fellowship with Artist Residency programme in USA.
Born on January 10, 1946, in Faridpur, Kalidas completed his graduation from the Government College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1969.
Kalidas Karmakar was awarded the Shilpakala Padak in 2016 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 for his contribution to fine arts.
Also read: PM mourns death of artist Kalidas Karmakar
In 2006, he received an ACC Fellowship to participate in a residency at the PointB Worklodge in Brooklyn.
Major works by the artist have been collected by Kihak Sung, Youngone Corporation, Korea and Bangladesh, Hiroshi Toda, Takeo Yamaki, Takashi Kobayashi, Abul Khair, Chairman, Bengal Foundation, Ambassador Paulo Da Costa Franco, and many other private collectors, at home and abroad.
PM mourns death of Kalidas
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mourned the death of Kalidas.
In a condolence message, she prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family.
She said the painter was specially acclaimed among the artists for his experimental art works through which he used to portray “Abahaman Bangla”.
“His art works will continue to inspire the new generations,” she said.
Major works by the artist have been collected by Kihak Sung, Youngone Corporation, Korea and Bangladesh, Hiroshi Toda, Takeo Yamaki, Takashi Kobayashi, Abul Khair, Chairman, Bengal Foundation, Ambassador Paulo Da Costa Franco, and many other private collectors, at home and abroad.