Nadia Samdani Explained

Nadia Samdani
Native Name:নাদিয়া সামদানি
Native Name Lang:bn
Other Names:Nadia Khalil Choudhury
Occupation:Art collector, businessperson
Spouse:Rajeeb Samdani
Nationality:British-Bangladeshi

Nadia Samdani is a British born Bangladeshi businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist. She is involved in developing platforms for art and culture in Bangladesh.[1] Along with her husband Rajeeb Samdani, she is the co-founder of Samdani Art Foundation and its headline event the Dhaka Art Summit, which she also leads as its director.[2] [3] She serves as the Vice President of the Alliance Française de Dhaka.[4]

In 2022, Samdani was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in Queen's Birthday Honours for services to global art philanthropy and supporting the arts in South Asia and the UK.[5] In 2023, she was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of the Arts and Letters) by the French government.[6]

Background

Samdani's family moved to Dhaka from the UK in the late 1980s.[7]

Career

Nadia is a founding committee member of Tate's South Asian Acquisition Committee and is also a member of Tate's International Council.[8] She is a founding member of the Harvard University Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute's Arts Advisory Council and a member of the Alserkal Avenue Programming Committee in Dubai and also serves on the advisory council of the art fair Art Dubai.[9] [10] She presented the work of the foundation at museums and art fairs such as the Royal Ontario Museum, Art Basel, and Frieze Art Fair.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Her art collection has been recognized since 2015 on the Artnews Top 200 collectors listing[17] – one of the sole South Asian collections to receive this recognition.[18] [19] The Samdani collection is featured in international news publications including Hong Kong Tatler.[20]

Business

Samdani is director of Golden Harvest Group, a conglomerate in Bangladesh active in information technology, commodities, logistics, food processing, agriculture, dairy, aviation, insurance, banking, infrastructure development and real estate. She is the chairperson of Braintrain Studio, a subsidiary of Golden Harvest which is active in architecture and interior design consultancy in Bangladesh. She is also a director of the Khalil Group.[21]

Honours, awards and recognition

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How These 7 Women Are Making the Art World More Diverse . Anna Louie . Sussman . 9 March 2020 . Artsy.
  2. Web site: Our Team . Samdani Art Foundation.
  3. Web site: DAS Team . Dhaka Art Summit.
  4. Web site: Executive Committee & Constitution . Alliance Française de Dhaka.
  5. News: British-Bangladeshi Nadia Samdani, an art patron, receives MBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours . 2023-08-13 . bdnews24.com . en.
  6. News: Nadia Samdani awarded with Order of Arts and Letters by French Ministry of Culture. 2023-03-16. 2023-08-12. Dhaka Tribune.
  7. Web site: My Dhaka: Nadia Samdani . 2023-08-13 . Art Basel . en.
  8. Rajeeb and Nadia Samdani among top art collectors in the world . Dhaka Courier.
  9. Web site: Committees . Art Dubai . https://web.archive.org/web/20190620095751/http://www.artdubai.ae/committees/ . 2019-06-20.
  10. Web site: Founding members form South Asian Arts Council . The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University . 9 December 2015.
  11. ArtAsiaPacific: Almanac2013 . ArtAsiaPacific.
  12. News: Collecting Art Is Deeply Personal . Nadia . Samdani . 22 February 2013 . livemint.com.
  13. News: Nadia Samdani participates in Speaker's Forum, India Art Fair . 11 February 2013 . The Daily Star.
  14. Web site: Highlights from the Second Edition of the Private Museum Conference . Larry's List.
  15. Web site: South Asian Art - Past, Present, Future . events.berkeley.edu.
  16. Nadia & Rajeeb Samdani, Diana Campbell Betancourt . ArtReview.
  17. 10 September 2017 . Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani . 8 October 2020 . ARTnews . en-US.
  18. Who Will Shape the Art World in 2020?: ARTnews Presents 'The Deciders' . 14 January 2020 . ARTnews.
  19. Nadia & Rajeeb Samdani, Diana Campbell Betancourt . ArtReview.
  20. Web site: Inside Art-Collecting Couple Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani's Impressive Home in Dhaka . Oliver . Giles . Tatler Asia.
  21. Web site: Nadia Khalil Choudhury - Biography . marketscreener.com.
  22. News: Nadia Samdani presented the Order of Arts and Letters by French cultural ministry . The Daily Star . Dhaka . 23 July 2023.
  23. News: JCI Bangladesh awards nine women leaders of country . The Financial Express . Dhaka . 10 March 2020.
  24. Web site: About WEF Awards 2018 . Women Economic Forum . 10 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210415044619/https://www.wef.org.in/wef-awards-2018/ . 2021-04-15.
  25. Shaikh . Ayesha . 17 September 2017 . Montblanc De La Culture Arts Patronage Award Presented In Dubai . Harper's Bazaar Arabia.