Kazi Ghiyasuddin was born in Madaripur, Bangladesh, in 1951. He graduated from the Government College of Art and Crafts (presently Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka) in 1970 and later obtained a master’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Chittagong. After a brief teaching stint (1972-1975) he left for Japan for higher studies. He was the first Bangladeshi to receive a Ph. D in Art from the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo. Ghiyasuddin carved out a place for himself in the art circles in Tokyo and his international renown flourished. Dividing his time between Dhaka and Tokyo, he now chooses to spend the monsoon-laden summer months in his studio in Dhaka.
Ghiyasuddin’s artworks have been widely exhibited and are part of various private collections and public spaces. In 2018, the Japanese government honoured Kazi Ghiyasuddin with the Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.