(1934 - 2005)
Shyamal Dutta Ray studied at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta. His body of work constitutes a major turning point in the history of the Bengal School of Art. Regarded as a master watercolorist, he taught art at Jagadhbandhu Institution, Kolkata from 1954-1956. Ray is also a founding member of the Society of Contemporary Artists, an artists' collective, which sought to introduce innovativeness into the art world of the 1960s. He has received many honours: the Award of Merit from the Lalit Kala Academy, the Shiromani Kala Puraskar, and the Special Commendation of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad. His works have been exhibited in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore. He has participated in international shows such as the Third World Biennale of Graphics, London, and the Havana Biennale, Cuba, to mention a few. His works are in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the Glenbarra Museum, Japan. He passed away in 2005.