Qatar will open the world's first museum dedicated to M.F. Husain next month, creating a groundbreaking institution that honors the legacy of one of India's most celebrated and influential modern artists. The Lawh Wa Qalam: M.F. Husain Museum, operated by the Qatar Foundation, will officially open its doors on November 28 in Doha's Education City, spanning over 3,000 square meters.
Maqbool Fida Husain, often referred to as the "Picasso of India," was born in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, in 1915. As a self-taught artist, he began developing his artistic abilities during his early teenage years by learning calligraphy at a madrasah. In the 1930s, he relocated to Mumbai, where he made ends meet by painting cinema posters while refining his artistic skills alongside the growing Bollywood film industry.
In 1947, Husain played a pivotal role in forming the Progressive Artists Group alongside fellow artists F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, K.H. Ara, H.A. Gade, and S.K. Bakre. This collective aimed to establish a new modern identity for Indian art following the country's independence from British colonial rule. "All of them very consciously decided to create a new language for art in post-independence India, which is away from ancient art, which is away from the British school of art – a completely new language," explained Sahar Zaman, an art journalist who has extensively documented Husain's life and work.
"He's one of the most prominent artists from the modern art world and one of the most prolific. He passed in 2011 and we're still talking about his record-breaking paintings. We're still talking about his latest works," Zaman noted. Husain's influence on the art world continues to resonate today, with his 1954 painting "Untitled (Gram Yatra)" selling for $13.8 million at a Christie's auction in New York this past March, making it the most expensive Indian artwork ever sold at auction.
Much of Husain's later artistic output was created and commissioned in London, Doha, and Dubai, where he lived in self-imposed exile beginning in 2006. This move came after he faced significant backlash in India for a controversial series depicting Hindu goddesses, which he had painted a decade earlier. Despite this controversy, his artistic productivity never waned.
Throughout his lifetime, Husain created thousands of artworks across various mediums, including installations, paintings, drawings, lithographs, silkscreens, and film posters. The new museum, designed by architect Martand Khosla and born from a sketch by Husain himself, will house many of these diverse works. According to the Qatar Foundation's statement last week, "A journey that began in Mumbai now finds a home in Doha."
Husain's distinctive artistic style masterfully fused Indian folk culture, mythology, and modernist abstraction. Among his most beloved motifs were horses, which he featured prominently both in static paintings and dynamic motion as part of his installation work. The museum's galleries will showcase his final works created in Qatar, including the acclaimed Arab Civilization series.
The museum will also feature Husain's last and most ambitious project, "Seeroo fi al ardh," which was commissioned by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation. This remarkable installation was completed posthumously in 2019 and features life-size horses crafted from the famous colorful hand-blown glass from Murano, Venice, alongside speeding cars – all spinning on a circular platform. "He left instructions to the Qatar Foundation team and Sheikha Moza, who's been the largest patron in his last years, on how to install the work," Zaman revealed. "It starts with footsteps, then it moves with galloping horses and then it moves on to sports cars, speeding sports cars – It's magnificent."
The Qatar Foundation has been systematically collecting Husain's works and forming partnerships with private collectors to bring them together under one roof, resulting in the creation of the largest-ever collection of the artist's work. This comprehensive collection makes the museum not only the first institution dedicated to a single Indian artist but also the most complete repository of Husain's artistic legacy. "I think it's a great moment of pride for India," Zaman concluded. "This new museum is going to be a landmark."
