Abul Khair Litu

Khair was born on 7 October 1950 in Dhaka, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan (now Bangladesh). His father was Abdul Khalek and his mother was Mumtaz Khalek. He had a brother Asfar Khair and two sisters, Naqveen and Nazneen.

Mumtaz Khalek was an artist. When Khair was in about class VIII he organized a solo exhibition of at least 30 of her drawings in the teacher's lounge of his school, Armanitola Government High School. They were lost after the exhibition. Khair's uncle Abdur Razzaq, a Dhaka University professor with whom he lived for a period, was another person who instilled in Khair a passion for the art and culture of Bangladesh. When Khair was a child, Razzaque would take him along on visits to his close friend, artist Zainul Abedin.

Khair obtained a bachelor's degree in commerce from Dhaka University in 1972.

He went to work in his father's factory, Purbasha Glass Industry in 1972. The next year he started his own business. His interactions with the artists who he met through his uncle inspired him to start his own art collection, so around 1973 he began buying artwork. Early purchases included paintings by Zainul Abedin and SM Sultan.

By the mid-1970s, Khair was chairman of Bengal Group. In 1981, he co-founded Arab Bangladesh Bank (later AB Bank), the first private sector bank in the country. He was president of Abahani Sporting Club from 1982 to 1987.

Khair set up the Bengal Foundation, a private trust funded by the Bengal Group, in 1986 to promote the art and culture of Bangladesh.

Bengal Foundation

Over a span of twenty-five years since its inception, the Bengal Foundation has promoted a variety of visual and performing arts and crafts, with regular local, regional and international events. One such prominent event is a series of monthly music concerts where admission is free. The Bengal Foundation also holds demonstrations, seminars and workshops, and awards scholarships for those interested in studying Bangladeshi music.

Bengal Foundation awards

Litu has instituted a number of awards through the Bengal Foundation to encourage established as well as emerging Bangladeshi artists.

The Bengal Foundation Award, instituted in 1998, is awarded to an artist for commendable work in the National Art Exhibition organised by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The Master Craftsperson's award has been instituted in association with the National Crafts Council. It is the highest honour for praiseworthy work in the crafts field.