Born on 8th October 1926, in a small village called Faridpur, Bengal (now Bangladesh) Biren De was a modern and contemporary Indian art painter. The talented artist is known for his paintings influenced by the Tantric practices and texts. De relocated to Kolkata and joined the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata in 1944, but failed to receive his diploma. After this, he moved to New Delhi and was commissioned for a mural at the University of Delhi in 1949. His first solo exhibition was held at Salon De Mai, Paris in 1951. In the following year, he joined the College of Art, Delhi as a faculty member and worked there till 1963. He had exhibited widely and represented India at the Venice Biennial in 1962 and the Salon de Mai, Paris in 1951.

His artistic career began with painting portraits and figurative works which were deeply influenced by Post-Impressionist European painters. During his tenure at the College of Art, he spent a year in New York on a Fulbright Scholarship, after which he began to depict tantric symbolism in his works. De utilised geometric forms like crescents, concentric rings, and mandalas in his paintings. His ‘Neo-Tantric’ works often had dark blues and bright reds which were meant to awaken the psyche towards an undivided consciousness. The artist's usage of light colours in some works provides the viewer with a sense of peace. His artistic expression of the continuous play of light and shadow created a magical effect on the art.

Some of Biren De’s art represented the union of the masculine and feminine energies of the universe through phallic and yonic symbols. The wheel, the sun, the lotus, and seeds were the other recurring symbols that the artists used as a form of expression. He often employed colours like yellow, blue, and red for his artwork. The presented alluring oil on canvas from 1972 was showcased at AstaGuru's 100th auction, ‘Masters Legacy'. It set a new artist record for De at INR 1,02,84,974. Here, he effortlessly showcases the subtle changes of light and shade by utilising vibrant colours and free shapes in the painting; inviting the viewer to look deeper into his inner consciousness and questioning their inner reality.

De received several awards including the Lalit Kala Akademi National Award in 1958, for his painting ‘Apparition’, and the second time for ‘Dying Ogre’ in 1964. His works have been exhibited both in India and abroad, including at the Sao Paulo Biennale in 1961, the Venice Biennale in 1962, and Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai during 1973–1974. In 1992, the Government of India included him in the Republic Day honours list for the civilian award of the Padma Shri. De’s works are showcased at the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the National Gallery of Prague. The artist passed away on the 12th of March, 2011 in New Delhi.