Sarbari Roy Choudhury (1933 - 2012)
Born in Ulpur, East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Sarbari Roy Choudhury graduated in Sculpture from the Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta; and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda. During his study tour in Europe, Roy Choudhury visited Paris and Italy, and was able to meet two great masters, Alberto Giacometti and Ossip Zadkine, who appreciated his small bronzes. He studied sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, Italy; and interacted with Marino Marini and Henry Moore. Following his return to India, he joined the Department of Sculpture at Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan.
Roy Choudhury was a connoisseur of Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, and collected rare albums and recordings. His interest and engagement with music is evident from his portraits of renowned singers depicted in the act of performance, such as the intensely animated facial expressions of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1971) and Siddheshwari Devi (1964).
He had many solo and group exhibitions in India and overseas, including a show at the Paris Biennale in 1965. His last exhibition was held posthumously under the Ministry of Culture, along with the Lalit Kala Akademi, in 2012. His works are part of the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and at The Madam Shenue Museum, Florence, Italy, besides many private collections across the world. A major publication on his work was released by the Lalit Kala Akademi, Ministry of Culture, in 2008.
The artist passed away in Kolkata in February, 2012.
