Shyamal Dutta Ray was born in 1934 in Bihar. He earned the diploma in painting from Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was a founding member of the Society of Contemporary Artists.

Some of the exhibitions in which he took part are: Exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata (1958); Traveling Exhibition, Asian Graphic Prints in USA (1969); Kala Yatra in Hyderbad (1981); ‘Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings’, Sotheby’s Auction in London (1995).

He also participated in the Asian Art Biennale that was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1983. In 1986, he took part in the 6th International Triennale, Lalit Kala Akademi that was held in New Delhi.

The Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi honoured him with the National Award in 1982.

The renowned artist passed away in 2005.