13 Facts About Novera Ahmed

Novera Ahmed was a modern sculptor of Bangladesh.

Novera Ahmed was awarded the Ekushey Padak medal by the government of Bangladesh in 1997 and Independence Award in 2025.

Novera Ahmed was born on 29 March 1939, in Sundarbans in the then Bengal Presidency, British India, whilst her family were there for a crocodile hunt.

Novera Ahmed's mother made figures and doll houses out of clay, a traditional craft she was highly skilled in, and this led to Novera Ahmed's fascination with three-dimensional forms.

Novera Ahmed studied European sculpture under the sculptor Venturino Venturi in Florence and later in Vienna.

Novera Ahmed was influenced by many western modern sculptors such as Henry Moore.

Novera Ahmed jointly worked with Hamidur Rahman on the original design of the Shaheed Minar, Dhaka.

Novera Ahmed created the first frieze at the Dhaka Central Public Library in 1957.

In 1997, Novera Ahmed was awarded the Ekushey Padak medal, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, in recognition of her work.

Novera Ahmed began spray paintings, using plane crash remains from the US army in the Vietnam War.

Novera Ahmed was married to a police officer in mid 1954 in Calcutta.

Novera Ahmed moved to France in the 1970s and lived there for the rest of her life.

Novera Ahmed died on 6 May 2015 at a hospital in Paris, France.