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Lot Essay
Mohammad Kibria is considered a pioneer of the modernist movement in Bangladesh. Humble and contemplative, his quiet personality reflects in the silent intensity of his work. "Kibria's paintings exude stillness yet radiate with life. When examined carefully these quiet details are frantic with energy [...]" (J. Jalil, Kibria, Bangladesh, 2008, p. 11)
Graduating from Calcutta School of Art in 1950, Kibria was greatly influenced by the impressionists and post-impressionists. He studied the treatment of color and expression in the works of Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. From post-impressionists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Paul Gauguin, he became aware of how color influences mood.
In 1959, The Government of Japan granted Kibria a scholarship to study at the prestigious Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music where he studied printmaking. He found the simplicity of Japanese aesthetics appealing. Throughout his career, Kibria participated in many exhibitions, biennales, and triennials in numerous cities such as the Second Annual Exhibition of Dhaka Art Group, Dhaka Museum, Dhaka (1952), International Biennale Exhibition of Prints, Tokyo (1959, 1962, 1966,), Triennial-India, New Delhi (1975, 1978, 1986), XV International Sao Paolo Biennale, Sao Paolo (1979), and Asian Art Biennial Bangladesh, Dhaka (1981-2003, 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th). In 1983, Kibria was awarded the Ekushe Padak, the highest civilian national award of Bangladesh in the field of Painting. In 1999, he was also awarded the Independence Day Award, highest civilian national award of Bangladesh in the field of Fine Arts.
Graduating from Calcutta School of Art in 1950, Kibria was greatly influenced by the impressionists and post-impressionists. He studied the treatment of color and expression in the works of Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. From post-impressionists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, and Paul Gauguin, he became aware of how color influences mood.
In 1959, The Government of Japan granted Kibria a scholarship to study at the prestigious Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music where he studied printmaking. He found the simplicity of Japanese aesthetics appealing. Throughout his career, Kibria participated in many exhibitions, biennales, and triennials in numerous cities such as the Second Annual Exhibition of Dhaka Art Group, Dhaka Museum, Dhaka (1952), International Biennale Exhibition of Prints, Tokyo (1959, 1962, 1966,), Triennial-India, New Delhi (1975, 1978, 1986), XV International Sao Paolo Biennale, Sao Paolo (1979), and Asian Art Biennial Bangladesh, Dhaka (1981-2003, 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th). In 1983, Kibria was awarded the Ekushe Padak, the highest civilian national award of Bangladesh in the field of Painting. In 1999, he was also awarded the Independence Day Award, highest civilian national award of Bangladesh in the field of Fine Arts.