President, PM mourn death of eminent artist Murtaja Baseer

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of noted artist Murtaja Baseer, an awardee of the Ekushey Padak.

In messages of condolence, they said, “The contribution made by Murtuja Baseer for development of the country’s fine arts will inspire the future generations.”

They prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

Murtaja Bashir died of coronavirus on Saturday morning at the intensive care unit of the Evercare Hospital.

He was 88 years old.

On Thursday night, he was admitted to the hospital.

Apart from heart problems, the renowned artist was suffering from kidney and lungs complications.

Murtaja Bashir was considered one of the foremost painters of Bangladesh. He was known for working with abstract realism. The Wings and Epitaph for the Martyrs series are among the finest works of the artist.

He is the son of scholar and linguist Dr Muhammad Shahidullah.