| In his childhood, Mahmudul Haque was drawn to the illustrations in his textbooks. At home he marveled at an uncle who was often busy decorating wedding venues with colored paper, and the beautiful kanthas (embroidered quilts) stitched by women. Later, at the Art Institute in Dhaka, his teacher Mohammad Kibria was a great influence. The analytical quality of printmaking and the emotive aspects of painting come together in Haque’s works. He did postgraduate studies in printmaking in Japan. This was followed by teaching stints in Japan, USA, Pakistan, Nepal, and India. He taught at the Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka. Haque also served as director general of the Bangladesh National Museum. He received 12th Kuwait International Biennale Award (1996) and The Order of the Rising Sun (2019) from the Emperor of Japan, among other awards and honors. |