Biren De

Biren De (1926–2011) was a pioneering modernist best known for his vibrant Neo-Tantric paintings that fused Indian spiritual traditions with a modern abstract language. While his early work was rooted in figuration and portraiture influenced by Post-Impressionism, De later shifted toward bold, geometric abstraction inspired by Tantric philosophy.

Born in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh), De moved to Calcutta in 1944 to study at the Government College of Arts and Crafts. His career took an international turn when he exhibited across Europe in the early 1950s, including at the prestigious Salon de Mai in Paris. A Fulbright Scholarship brought him to New York in 1959, where he immersed himself in global modernist movements, further shaping his artistic evolution.

By the 1960s, De had developed a distinctive visual vocabulary marked by luminous mandalas, crescents, and symbolic forms that explored divine energy, dualities of masculine and feminine forces, and cosmic balance. Central to many of his compositions was the bindu, or point of origin, glowing against deep backgrounds of red, blue, and black.

De was twice honoured with national awards from the Lalit Kala Akademi and received the Padma Shri in 1992. His works were exhibited at major international platforms, including the Venice and São Paulo Biennales, and now reside in prestigious collections such as MoMA, New York; the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; and the National Gallery in Prague.