Doha to open first museum dedicated to M F Husain in November

Forced into self-imposed exile after his controversial paintings drew threats in India, Maqbool Fida Husain made Doha his home, accepting honorary citizenship of Qatar in 2010. Now, the city will house the world’s first museum dedicated to the barefoot artist, who was often described as India’s Picasso. On November 28, Qatar Foundation will open Lawh Wa Qalam: M F Husain Museum in Doha. The museum will trace Husain’s prolific career from the 1950s until his death in London in 2011.

The announcement comes just months after Husain’s Gram Yatra, a monumental work depicting 13 vignettes of rural life, sold for Rs 118 crore at Christie’s New York. The record-breaking sale made it the most expensive Indian artwork ever auctioned. If the Christie’s sale underscored Husain’s market value, the Doha museum aims to illuminate the breadth of his artistic legacy. Husain, who painted even till a few weeks before his death, is known for his cubist horses, mythological themes and passion for cinema. In one interview, he famously said: “Log kaam karne ke baad ghode bech kar sote hain, Main ghode bech kar film banata hoon” (People sleep like a horse after working their entire life and I sell horses to make films).

Spanning more than 3,000 sq m, it will showcase various facets of Husain’s multidisciplinary practice — from paintings, films and tapestry to photography, poetry, installations, and personal objects — presented through immersive storytelling.

"We set out to create a home that celebrates his multidisciplinary genius," said Noof Mohammed, Curator and Project Manager of the museum. "Visitors can embark on a journey through his sketches, personal objects, and iconic and never-before-seen works, experiencing the spirit of an artist who never ceased to experiment. This museum allows visitors to encounter Husain as he lived: with the utmost curiosity and constantly in conversation with the world around him. Our hope is that every visitor will leave having been inspired and with a deep connection to the legacy of one of the greatest artists of our time."

The building, designed by New Delhi-based architect Martand Khosla, is based on a drawing Husain made for his own museum. Khosla, who also designed the award-winning M F Husain Art Gallery at Jamia Millia Islamia University, described the project as a unique collaboration across time. “It has been a privilege to have engaged in this imagined architectural discourse with Husain (through our interpretation of his drawing) as a collaborator — a shift from my own Indian modernist practice,” he said.

Among the highlights will be a series of paintings commissioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, and inspired by Arab civilization. Husain completed more than 35 of these before his death, several of which will be on display. A dedicated gallery will also present Seeroo fi al ardh, Husain’s final large-scale installation conceived in 2009, which depicts humanity’s progress.