Novera Ahmed ( 1939 – 2015 ) was born in Bangladesh and studied sculpture at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in London from 1951 to 1955, under the tutelage of eminent Czech sculptor Dr. Karel Vogel, and achieved the National Diploma in Design. She received further training in Florence from Venturino Venturi.
Considered a pioneer and the first modern sculptor of Bangladesh, N. Ahmed introduced modern sculpture into what was then East Pakistan . She produced its first frieze on the wall of the Central Public Library in 1957 and the first open-air sculpture ( Cow with Two Figures ) in 1958. She had her first solo exhibition, entitled – Inner Gaze – and in Dhaka in August 1960, which showcased about 75 exhibits from 1956 to 1960, mainly executed in cement. It was probably the first-ever solo sculpture exhibition by any sculptor of Bangladesh .
Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation is pleased to work with Musee Novera Ahmed , France to get its first release of this restored video covering footage from Novera’s 1973 exhibition in Paris .
We thank everyone who has worked with personal dedication in this project along with museum ‘s team .