Novera Ahmed is among the first women sculptors of Bangladesh and collaborated with Hamidur Rahman on the sculptural work of the Central Shaheed Minar. Accounts of the division of labour vary, but the collaboration itself is widely acknowledged.
Role
Sculptor
Lived
1930–2015
Collaboration
Central Shaheed Minar
Later life
Based in Paris
Novera Ahmed was born in 1930 and studied art in London and Paris. Because she practised sculpture in Dhaka before independence, she is regarded as one of the founders of modern sculpture in Bangladesh.
Her work centred on metal and sculptural form, and her 1950s exhibitions in Dhaka were considered unusual for their time.
Novera Ahmed collaborated on the sculptural and relief work in Hamidur Rahman’s design. Exactly which part was executed by whom is not equally documented everywhere.
In the historiography of the monument, the two are therefore credited jointly.
She moved to Paris in the 1970s and died there in 2015. After a long absence, her work returned to public discussion in Bangladesh, and her sculptures are preserved as part of modern art history.
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Frequently asked questions
One of the first women sculptors of Bangladesh, who collaborated with Hamidur Rahman on the sculptural work of the Central Shaheed Minar.
The collaboration is acknowledged, but detailed accounts of which elements she executed are not documented consistently across sources.
Born in 1930, Novera Ahmed died in Paris in 2015, where she had lived for many years.
