In 1995, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Woman with a Vase (1956), offered in the Contemporary Indian Paintings: From The Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust by Sotheby's, which concluded on 12 June 1995 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹1,98,637 ($6,325). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Introduction
- Date of Birth
- 08 Oct 1926
- Zodiac sign
- Libra
- Date of Death
- 12 Mar 2011
- Age
- 84
- Place of Birth
- Faridpur, Undivided India | Present-day Bangladesh
- State Country of Birth
- Undivided India | Present-day Bangladesh
1944
- Diploma (Fine Arts), Government College of Arts and Craft, Kolkata, India
1959
- Fulbright Scholarship, USA
1959 – 1960
1952
- Taught at the School of Art, New Delhi, India
1952 – 1963
1968
- Visiting Faculty Member, School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, India
1971
- Toured and lectured on Indian Contemporary Art in USSR and Czechoslovakia as part of the Cultural Exchange Programmes between India and these two countries
Exhibitions
1949
- Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
1951
- Salon de Mai, Paris, France, India
- Salon de Mai, Paris, France, India
1952
- Freemason's Hall, New Delhi, India
18 Jan 1952 to 22 Jan 1952
1953
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- National Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, India
- Sixty-third Annual Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1954
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1955
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1956
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1957
- Young Asian Artists, Japan
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1959
- Twenty Painters Show, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- Mainichi International Biennale, Tokyo, Japan
- Contemporary Art from India, Museum Folkwang Essen Stadtische Kunsthalle, Recklinghausen, Germany
- Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund and Galerie Palette, Zurich, Switzerland
De, Biren (Artist). Exhibition of Paintings by Biren De, 1952 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882212
1949
- Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
1951
- Salon de Mai, Paris, France, India
1952
18 Jan 1952 to 22 Jan 1952
1953
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1954
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1955
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1956
1957
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1961
1963
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- Exhibition of Paintings, Fine Arts Gallery, New Delhi, India
1965
- Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, India
1967
15 Nov 1967 to 30 Nov 1967
27 Oct 1967 to 07 Jan 1968
1971
- Paintings, Gallery Chanakya, New Delhi, India
1973
05 Feb 1973 to 21 Feb 1973
1974
- Gallery Chanakya, New Delhi, India
06 Sep 1974 to 21 Sep 1974
1975
- Hempsted Public Library, New York, USA
- Atelier-Galerie Irmgard Sen Gupta, Hamburg, West Germany
De, Biren (Artist). Exhibition of Paintings by Biren De, 1952 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882212
1951
- Salon de Mai, Paris, France, India
1952
- Freemason's Hall, New Delhi, India
1953
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- National Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, India
- Sixty-third Annual Exhibition, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai, India
1954
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1956
- All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
1957
- Young Asian Artists, Japan
1959
- Twenty Painters Show, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi, India
- Mainichi International Biennale, Tokyo, Japan
- Contemporary Art from India, Museum Folkwang Essen Stadtische Kunsthalle, Recklinghausen, Germany
- Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund and Galerie Palette, Zurich, Switzerland
1961
- Mainichi International Biennale, Tokyo, Japan
- International Biennale, Sao Paulo, Brazil
1962
- International Biennale, Venice, Italy
1963
- Ten Contemporary Painters from India, University of South Florida, USA
- Jacksonville Art Museum, Jacksonville, USA
- Long Beach Art Institute, San Francisco, USA
- East-West Centre, Honolulu, USA
- Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, USA
Chronicled Highlights 181956 – 2009
Biren De was born in 1926 in Faridpur, Undivided India | Present-day Bangladesh.
In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Mother (1956), offered in the Masterpieces and Museum Quality Series: Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 02 December 2005 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹25,30,000 ($54,856.9). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 1999, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Widows (1957), offered in the Intuitive-Logic - The Next Step: Auctions of Indian Art - Classical, Folk, Tribal, Modern & Contemporary Traditions by HEART, which concluded on 28 November 1999 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹5,04,000 ($11,613). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1963), offered in the Forty Masterpieces Museum Quality Series VII by Osian's, which concluded on 09 September 2006 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹30,00,000 ($64,837). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2008, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of The Movement (1967), offered in the Indian Modern & Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 18 March 2008 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹48,00,000 ($118,168). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
I am not a cult painter and my work is not the result of any esoteric practice. But if you agree that the essential objective of Tantra is the discovery of the nature of thing, of self-realisation, then I am a tantric and so are you, and anybody.
In 2024, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1972), offered in the Masters Legacy by Asta Guru, which concluded on 28 April 2024 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹1,02,84,974 ($125,426). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2018, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of September '73 (1973), offered in the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art & Art of Pakistan by Bonhams, which concluded on 24 October 2018 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹57,03,174 ($70,652). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2004, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of April '74 (1974), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including 20th Century Indian Paintings by Christie's, which concluded on 23 September 2004 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹8,78,373 ($19,120). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1983), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Indian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 20 September 2006 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹38,68,200 ($84,000). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
It can now be said without qualification that he (Biren De) is one of our most significant painters… Every enterprise is well-planned though I must confess that his sketches for composition, which he executes in pastels, are sometimes more subtle in effect than the expanded painting in oils…
In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of August' 88 (1988), offered in the Indian Contemporary Art: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture by Osian's, which concluded on 09 February 2005 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹14,95,000 ($34,258). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Economics of Art
Record-high lots15
Public Auction Market (1987–2026) | Select Indicators
Annual Auction Sale Turnover
It aggregates all sales across global auction houses into yearly totals.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
The turnover graph highlights periods of strong growth, moments of market correction, and resilience during downturns. Peaks often align with landmark works coming to public auction, while troughs may indicate reduced supply or weaker demand. Over time, the curve illustrates the overall trajectory of Biren De’s public auction market presence.
Average Sale Price Per Lot
It smooths out fluctuations caused by the quantity of works offered and focuses on the Average Sale Price level per artwork.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
Rising average sale prices indicate growing collector confidence and a stronger willingness to pay higher amounts per work. Assuming the mix of mediums remains relatively stable over time, the proportion of works on paper typically priced lower than works on canvas adds important context to understanding these market movements.
Square Inch Rate Trend
This allows fair comparisons between smaller works and larger canvases.
Analysis reflected in the chart:
The Square Inch Rate shown in the graph combines various medium types such as canvas, paper, board, and others. Historically, works on canvas and board have broadly commanded higher prices compared to works on paper.
1950
- Maharajadhiraj Bahadur Singh Kameshwar Singh K.C.I.E. of Darbhanga's Gold Medal for Water Colour, All India Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, India
- H.E. Maharaja of Patiala's First Prize for Water Colour, All India Art Exhibition, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, India
- H.E. The Governor's Gold Medal for the best exhibit in any medium, All India Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, India
1958
- Apparition, National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, India
- Punjab Government Gold Medal, First Prize for Water Colour, All India Art Exhibition, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, India
- Gold Centered Medal, 1st Prize for the best Water Colour, All India Art Exhibition, Shilpa Kala Parishd, Patna, India
1959
- Sir N.V. Gadgil Governor's First Prize for Water Colour, All India Art Exhibition, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, India
- 1st Prize for the best Water Colour, All India Art Exhibition, Gwalior, India
1964
- Dying Ogre, National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India
1992
- Padma Shri, Government of India
2006
- Fellow, Lalit Kala Akademi
Research Centre
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