Nitun Kundo

Nitun Kundo (1935–2006) was the foremost sculptor of Bangladesh — the artist whose public monuments have become inseparable from the visual identity of Bangladeshi cities and civic life.

Born in Dhaka, he studied at the Government Institute of Fine Arts before going abroad to study sculpture in London and Italy. Returning to Bangladesh, he joined the faculty of the Institute of Fine Arts and dedicated himself to building sculpture as a recognised fine art discipline in the country.

His most famous public works include the Swopno Senapati (Captain of Dreams), Akanksha, and numerous monuments at Dhaka University, the National Parliament, and public parks across Bangladesh. These works — bold, figurative, heroic in scale — celebrate the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people, the struggle for liberation, and the dignity of ordinary life.

Beyond public monuments, Kundo created an extensive body of smaller sculptures in bronze, terracotta, and mixed media. His work bridges folk tradition and modernist form — deeply Bengali in spirit, yet universal in its humanity.

He received the Ekushey Padak in 1987.