Quamrul Hassan

Quamrul Hassan (b. 1921, Calcutta, India; d. 1988) was a central figure of Bangladeshi modern art. A student of the Calcutta Art School, he moved to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) alongside Zainul Abedin after the partition of India. Hassan co-founded,  with Abedin,  what is now the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University.

In an endeavour similar to that of Indian painter Jamini Roy, Hassan focused on the richness of Bengali visual heritage. His work combines visual elements of local culture with cubist influences, synthesizing folk and modern artistic languages. In addition to this artistic legacy, Hassan is also renowned for his political posters. His satirical rendition of Pakistani military ruler Yayah Khan as a bloodthirsty tyrant (1971) has become a defining  image of the Bangladesh Liberation War.