Acclaimed Bangladeshi sculptor and painter Hamiduzzaman Khan, best known for his iconic work Sangsaptak, has passed away at the age of 79.
He died on Sunday morning (July 20) around 10:30 AM while undergoing treatment at United Hospital in Dhaka.
According to his family members, Khan had been admitted to the hospital last week after falling seriously ill. He had been suffering from pneumonia and dengue.
As his condition deteriorated, he was moved to the ICU and later placed on life support, where he ultimately passed away.
Born on March 16, 1946, in Sahsram village of Kishoreganj, Hamiduzzaman Khan served as a faculty member in the Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka from 1970 to 2012.
Khan was widely celebrated for his thematic and experimental sculptures, which combined abstract forms with powerful narratives. One of his earliest notable works, Ekkatorer Smarane (In Remembrance of ’71), was created in 1976, inspired by the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
In 1988, he represented Bangladesh internationally by installing his sculpture Steps at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seoul, South Korea.
In addition to sculpture, he worked with watercolor and acrylics, often exploring nature and the human body in abstract expression.
Some of his notable public sculptures include Sangsaptak at Jahangirnagar University, Shantir Pāyra (Dove of Peace) at Dhaka University’s Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), Hamla at Sylhet Cantonment, and Pākhi Paribār (Bird Family) at Bangabhaban. In total, he created around 200 sculptures and held 47 solo exhibitions.
In recognition of his contributions to the arts, Hamiduzzaman Khan was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2006. He was also elected a Fellow of the Bangla Academy in 2022.
