JAMAL AHMED
Jamal Ahmed’s practice is distinguished by its lyrical realism and poetic engagement with the landscapes, people, and everyday rhythms of Bangladesh. Working primarily in acrylic paint, he combines refined draftsmanship with subtle tonal harmonies to depict subjects such as pigeons, horses, boats, fishermen, gypsies, marine life, and flood-affected communities. Rooted in careful observation yet imbued with quiet emotion, his paintings celebrate the beauty and resilience of ordinary life while evoking themes of memory, movement, and human connection.
Born in Dhaka in 1955, Jamal Ahmed graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts (now the Faculty of Fine Arts), University of Dhaka, in 1978. He later pursued postgraduate studies and a two-year research course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland (1980–1982), before continuing his education in oil painting at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, where he earned a postgraduate degree. In 1995, he was invited as a visiting teacher and artist-in-residence at the Department of Art and Design, North Carolina State University, USA, further expanding his international engagement.
Ahmed has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions, workshops, and international art events across Asia, Europe, and North America. His works are included in significant public and private collections in Bangladesh and abroad, reflecting a career that has made him one of the country's most respected contemporary painters.
Major Accolades:
Grand Prize, 11th National Art Exhibition at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (1994)
Grand Prize at the 14th National Art Exhibition at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 2000
2nd Best Prize at Artist’s Association Exhibition in 2000
Honorable Mention Award at the 10th Asian Art Biennale at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 2001
Hon. Mention Award, 10th Asian Art Biennale (2001)
Ekushey Padak, Govt. of Bangladesh (2019)
