About Sitt Nyein Aye
Lived 1956 – 2023 (aged 67). Sitt Nyein Aye was a Myanmar painter and activist.
Sitt Nyein Aye (, ; 24 April 1956 – 1 September 2023) was a Burmese artist.
Sitt Nyein Aye came from a small village, near Nyaung-U Township in Upper Myanmar. He was born Sein Aye to Daw Than Swe and U Tun Pe. His parents were farmers with no money for education. Monks in the village monastery provided the resources needed for him to attend high school. He secretly studied modern art but this was frowned upon by his teachers, being dubbed "mad art". He failed to achieve the top prize that would have allowed him to study abroad. Instead, he lived on the streets and sold artworks to passers-by.
Sitt Nyein Aye spent two months in custody for sketching the ruins of a student union that had been blown up by Ne Win in 1962. As a supporter of the pro-democracy movement in Burma, he had lived in exile in India.
Originally called Sein Aye, he changed his name to Sitt Nyein Aye, which means War and Peace, after reading the novel by Leo Tolstoy, in his twenties.
Earlier report said that Aye died on September 1, 2023.
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Important facts
People in Sitt Nyein Aye's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Sitt Nyein Aye's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Sitt Nyein Aye?
Burmese artist and activist (1956–2023)
When was Sitt Nyein Aye born?
Sitt Nyein Aye was born on 24 April 1956 in Nyaung-U.
When did Sitt Nyein Aye die?
Sitt Nyein Aye died on 1 September 2023.
What was Sitt Nyein Aye's occupation?
Sitt Nyein Aye was a painter and activist.
What nationality was Sitt Nyein Aye?
Sitt Nyein Aye was Myanmar.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Sitt Nyein Aye. https://biography.guide/sitt-nyein-aye/
MLA: "Sitt Nyein Aye." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/sitt-nyein-aye/.
Chicago: "Sitt Nyein Aye." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/sitt-nyein-aye/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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