Sayed Haider Raza studied at the Nagpur School of Art and later at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay. In the early 1940s, he co-founded the Progressive Artists' Group along with other influential artists like Francis Newton Souza and Maqbool Fida Husain. The group played a crucial role in shaping the modern art movement in India, breaking away from traditional Indian styles and embracing a more contemporary and experimental approach to art.

In the 1950s, Raza moved to France, where he continued to develop his artistic style. He gained international recognition and became a prominent figure on the global art scene. In 2023, Centre Pompidou presented a major retrospective of Raza’s work. Even though Raza spent more than six decades living in France, this exhibition was the first time that Paris hosted such a prodigious survey of his career. This exhibition was perhaps one of the largest and most ambitious shows of any modern Indian artist in Europe.

Raza’s works are characterized by a harmonious blend of Western modernism and Indian spirituality. Raza's art evolved over the years, but he is particularly known for his deep connection with Indian spirituality and philosophy. His works often featured geometric shapes, vibrant colors, and symbols inspired by Indian metaphysical concepts. The "Bindu" (dot) became a recurring motif in his paintings, representing a point of energy or the source of life.