Paritosh Sen was born in 1918 in Dhaka, then part of East Bengal, now in Bangladesh. He studied at at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Chennai, and later in Paris, France.

In 1942, he founded the Calcutta Group along with a group of artist friends. He has received many honours and awards and his paintings have been exhibited all over the world. he has also taught in India and abroad, and published writings both in Bangla and English.