{{Short description|Indian painter (1931–2012)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}} '''Bijan Choudhury''' (1931–2012) was a Bengal-born painter known for his activities as part of the Calcutta Painters in India.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sarkar, Sandip|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060407/asp/atleisure/story_6066826.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520174306/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060407/asp/atleisure/story_6066826.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 May 2006 |title=Romantic tales of lonely women |work=The Telegraph |place=Calcutta |date=7 April 2006 }}</ref>
Choudhury was born in Faridpur, Bengal (now Bangladesh) in 1931. He moved to Calcutta where he studied at the Government College of Art and Craft, but because of his Marxist beliefs he was expelled before he could graduate.<ref name="TOI loses gem">{{cite news |author=Sengupta, Ratnottama |url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAxMi8wMy8xOSNBcjAwNDAx |title=Bengal’s contemporary art loses a gem |work=The Times of India |date=19 March 2012 |accessdate=4 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103125735/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JS00vMjAxMi8wMy8xOSNBcjAwNDAx |archive-date=3 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He returned to Bengal and graduated from the Dacca Art College (now the University of Dhaka).<ref name="daily star 2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-235110 |title=Bijan Choudhury exhibition at Bengal Gallery |work=The Daily Star |place=Dhaka |date=22 May 2012 }}</ref>
Choudhury was one of the artists that formed the Society of Contemporary Artists in 1960. In 1964 together with Nikhil Biswas, Prakash Karmakar, Rabin Mondal, Jogen Chowdhury and Dharaj Chowdhury he founded the Calcutta Painters to break from the traditions of the Bengal School of Art.<ref name="TOI loses gem" /> In the late '70s he became head of the Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship.<ref name="TOI loses gem" />
Choudhury died on 16 March 2012. After his death, an exhibition of his paintings was arranged by the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts at the Bengal Gallery in May 2012.<ref name="daily star 2012" /><ref name="dhaka mirror 2012">{{cite news|url=http://www.dhakamirror.com/art-culture/bijan-choudhurys-rare-paintings-on-display/ |title=Bijan Choudhury’s rare paintings on display |work=Dhaka Mirror |date=30 May 2012 }}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, Bijan}} Category:1931 births Category:2012 deaths Category:20th-century Indian painters Category:Indian male painters Category:Bengali male artists Category:Artists from Kolkata Category:Painters from West Bengal Category:20th-century Indian male artists