Queen Elizabeth bestows Nadia Samdani with MBE award

Renowned British-Bangladeshi art patron Nadia Samdani has been appointed as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. MBE is considered the third highest-ranking Order of the British Empire award.

She was given the prestigious title due to her prolific service of global art philanthropy and promotion of arts in Bangladesh, South Asia, and the United Kingdom.

Nadia Samdani said: "It's an extraordinary honor to receive recognition for over a decade of supporting and nurturing artistic talent. It's been heartening to see the huge levels of public engagement with our work, and how the foundation has fostered new cross-cultural dialogues between Bangladesh and the rest of the world.

"I am thrilled that this honor comes as part of celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen's 70-year reign, and her length of service and commitment is something I hope to emulate in my ongoing work," she added.

Nadia Samdani, along with her husband Rajeeb Samdani are the co-founders of the Samdani Art Foundation. They were placed in the 49th position in the top 50 of ArtReview magazine's 2021 Power 100 list.

The Samdanis are best known for Dhaka Art Summit, which brings together curators, artists, and other arts professionals from around the globe. Their works have resulted them being included in major international public institutions and collections.

They were the first South Asians to be honoured with the prestigious Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage award in 2017.