Murtaja Baseer was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1932. His father Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah was an illustrious linguist, philologist, educationist, and teacher. After completing his graduation from the Government Art Institute, Dhaka, in 1954, Murtaja Baseer moved to Florence. He studied fresco at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence (1956-57), mosaic at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, and aquatint at Academie Goetz in Paris (1972-73).