surayia’s art in paris

It was great to see this article in the Dhaka Daily Star about the recent Bangladesh exhibit in Paris, as part of a year-long commemoration of Bangladesh’s 40th independence anniversary.

When we visited Dhaka last fall we had the opportunity to meet with Preema Nazia Andaleeb and Shariful Islam of the Bangladesh Brand Forum who were organizing the show.  We spoke with them about the film and Surayia’s art.  When they indicated an interest in including some of her work in the Paris show we helped to find a collector in France who was willing to loan two pieces.  As Preema notes in the article: “There were two unique tapestries by veteran artist Suraiya Rahman, which were a revelation of the lost talent of the country.”

Congratulations to all who worked so hard to bring this to completion.  It is great to see Surayia included in a show in France, particularly since she had shows at the Alliance Francaise in Dhaka and some of her favorite paintings were purchased by French people who knew her and admired her art in the 1970s.

We look forward to the Bangladesh art show in New York toward the end of 2011!