Noted artist Qayyum Chowdhury died at the Combined Military Hospital in the capital last night. He was 80.
He had fallen ill at the time of addressing the ongoing Bengal Classical Music Festival at the Army Stadium around 8:40pm. He was immediately rushed to the CMH, the media centre at the festival told the Dhaka Tribune.
In a statement, it said: “The artist was speaking at the opening session of the fourth day of the festival. Suddenly, he fell upon the floor and got hurt behind his head.”
At the CMH, doctors examined his condition and Qayyum was put on life support. Around 9pm, the doctors announced his demise.
Around 10pm his body was brought to the Square Hospital.
As the news of his death spread, people – particularly from the cultural arena – his family members, colleagues and students thronged the hospital.
Cultural Minister Asaduzzaman Noor announced that his body would be kept in front of the graphic design department of Dhaka University’s fine arts institute from 10am to 11am today.
Before his namaz-e-janaza at the Dhaka University central mosque and then burial at the family graveyard at Azimpur, his body would be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar until 1pm for people to pay their last respect.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed profound shock at the news of Qayyum’s death. They prayed for the eternal peace of his soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members and admirers.
In a condolence message, the president said the nation has lost an illustrated son of the soil.
In her message, the prime minister said the nation would always remember the artist’s role in the struggle for freedom of the Bangali nation and every democratic movement.
Fellow artist Rafiqun Nabi said the void created by Qayyum’s death would be felt immediately as “there is nowhere that is not linked to him.”
Qayyum’s long time colleague Sheikh Afzal Hossain said: “We listened to music together just a day ago...As an artist, he was unique. He used the traditional motifs in the modern art, which was his speciality.”
Qayyum Chowdhury was born on March 9, 1934 in Feni.
After passing Matriculation from Mymensingh City Collegiate School, he studied at the Dhaka Art Institute. He was a student of the second batch of the institute.
His teachers Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan and Saifuddin Ahmed had great influence on him.
He joined the institute as a teacher in 1957 but left in 1960. He rejoined the art institute – then renamed as Government Art College of Dhaka – in 1965 as a lecturer in the commercial art department.
He retired from the Institute of Fine Art (later renamed) in 1994. But, he continued teaching there until 2002.
He had participated many national and international exhibitions including All Pakistan Art Exhibition, the National Art Exhibition, the Asian Biennials. Throughout his career, his major exhibitions abroad include Washington, Tehran, Delhi, Germany, Sao Paulo, Fukuoka, Beijing, Harare and Moscow among many.
Qayyum Chowdhury was recipient Independence Award, the Shilpakala Academy Award, the Ekushey Padak, among the many awards he received for his works at home and abroad.