At a recent auction organised by renowned auction house Sotheby's in New York, two paintings by the Bangladeshi art maestro, revered as 'Shilpacharya' Zainul Abedin, fetched a record price, the highest on record for a Bangladeshi artist. Sotheby's, which was founded in London close to 300 years ago but is now headquartered in New York, recently organised an auction titled "Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art", where these two paintings were auctioned at record prices. According to the Sotheby's website, one of the two paintings, "Untitled (Couple)," which depicts a Santal couple (Oil on canvas, 1963), sold for $381,000, or around Tk 4,16,29,622 (Tk 4 crore 16 lakh 29 thousand 622) based on today's USD to BDT exchange rate ($1 = BDT 109.26). A hat worn by Napoleon sold for $2.1 million at an auction of the French emperor's belongings The other painting, also “Untitled” depicts a woman at rest, wearing a sky-blue saree and scarlet bangles, created between 1956 and 1963 using oil paints on board. This painting sold for USD 279,400, equivalent to approximately Tk 3,05,28,389 (3 crore 5 lakh 28 thousand 389). The first painting, which measures 102 cm in width and 135.5 cm in length, was initially estimated to be valued between 100,000 and 150,000 USD, according to the Sotheby's website. The second one, which measures 80.4 cm in length and 60.4 cm in breadth, was initially estimated to be valued between 80,000 and 120,000 USD. Both were from the Marker family collection, which the Sotheby's website referred to as “Property from The Estate of His Excellency Jamsheed K Marker and Diana J Marker.” BBC reports that both of them were close friends of Zainul Abedin. The Shilpacharya often visited the Marker couple's house and at that time introduced several famous South Asian artists to them. However, the website did not reveal the details of the buyers. Art collectors often prefer to remain anonymous. Princess Diana’s iconic black sheep sweater could fetch at least $50,000 at auction Art connoisseurs in the country opined that these two paintings are among the highest selling prices among Shilpacharya’s artworks. In early 2018, Christie's, the famous New York-based auction house, auctioned off another artwork by Zainul Abedin from the Santal series for Tk 1.5 crore in Bangladeshi currency.

To celebrate the 51st Victory Day of Bangladesh, 55 Bangladeshi and 20 international artists will participate in a special group art exhibition at Dubai International Art Center (DIAC) in the UAE from December 12 to 21. The 10-day art exhibition, "Bijoy" is organised by Funun Arts of the UAE and Mahfuz Canvas of Bangladesh. The participating self-taught artists will showcase their work, depicting that art is beyond borders, according to the organisers. Read: ‘Evolution’: Abdullah Al Bashir’s second solo exhibition begins at AFD The Consul General of Bangladesh in Dubai and the Northern Emirates BM Jamal Hossain and Emirati entrepreneur and Chairman of Al Zarooni Foundation Suhail Mohd Al Zarooni, a renowned Emirati collector and Guinness Book World Record holder, will inaugurate the art event. PowerPac, a concern of Sikder Group, is the title sponsor of the exhibition. "We are proud to sponsor this special tribute exhibition to the Victory of Bangladesh, with a specific focus on encouraging artists to improve their creations by giving them a global platform and encouraging them to honour the cultures of Bangladesh and history through their artworks," according to PowerPac. Read: Photo exhibition by Mongol Deep Foundation begins in city Mahfuzur Rahman, the founder of Mahfuz Canvas, said this endeavour is their greatest international achievement yet, and this is the largest overseas self-taught Bangladeshi artists' art exhibition to date. Shiba Khan and Farah Khan, founders of Funun Arts, one of the most vibrant art platforms in the UAE, said they aim to represent art and bring talents to light. "Artists are also given complete freedom to present themselves in their ways."

Bangladeshi artist Jannatul Fardous Meghla scooped up the first prize at the first Annual Student Art Show (ASAS) in the UAE's Dubai. Organised by UAE-based Art Group Funun Arts at De Montfort University, 320 student artists from 60 nationalities participated in ASAS from November 4-6, focusing on 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Artist Meghla won the first prize in the third category for her painting "Give Clean Water," which was based on SDG Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation. She is now pursuing her BSc in architecture from North South University. Also, another Bangladeshi calligraphy artist Shamsunnahar Tasnim, a tenth-grader at Jannatul Banat Madrasha in Dhaka, received an award for her Arabic calligraphy on SDG Goal 3: Good health and well-being. The event was inaugurated by entrepreneur and Chairman of the Al Zarooni Foundation Suhail Mohd Al Zarooni, also a renowned Emirati collector and Guinness Book World Record holder, and Ahmad Al Awadhi Rukni, a renowned Emirati artist. Read: GENTLE GRASS: Faroque unveils his world in first solo exhibition in Dhaka The founder of Funun Arts Shiba Khan and Farah Khan initiated this large-scale student art show and the inaugural edition welcomed 26 self-taught artists from Bangladesh under the mentorship of artist Mahfuzur Rahman through Mahfuz Canvas.

Painter Azmeer Hossain's fifth solo exhibition "The Beckoning Horizon," which began on June 18, is still underway at the Edge Gallery in Dhaka's Gulshan, showcasing an enchanting collection of abstract works. Hosted by Edge, The Foundation, the exhibition features 62 paintings by the artist. Eminent Bangladeshi artists Hamiduzzaman Khan, Mohammad Eunus, Biren Shome, Afrozaa Jamil Konka and others were present at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which is displaying more than 50 pictures painted in watercolour while the rest of the paintings are made using acrylic and mixed media.

Four paintings of the Independence Award-winning internationally-acclaimed Bangladeshi painter and freedom fighter Shahabuddin Ahmed have been sold on auction online through the international platform Sowda.com, in association with renowned art agency ARTcon.The four lithography paintings - ‘Run’, ‘Horse’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Horses’, were auctioned on the Sowda website on August 18 and all the paintings were sold at the auction on October 11.Bidding the base price of Tk 150,000 for each of the four paintings following the auction rules, Obhai Solutions Limited has become the proud collector of the four artworks, painted by the legendary artist Shahabuddin Ahmed. Also read: Shredded Banksy artwork sells for $25.4 million at auctionThe first of its kind international auction in Bangladesh, the month-long auction has received an overwhelming response from the top intellectuals, artists and art collectors in the country.