In a video clip of Lawh Wa Qalam, the world’s first museum dedicated to MF Husain, we see glimpses of the extraordinary work of the late legendary Indian artist, whose prolific paintings and turbulent personal history have fascinated the world.
The museum honours the legacy of the artist who spent his last years in Qatar and was granted citizenship in 2010.
Spanning over some 3,000 sq m, it opened to visitors last week and is part of the expansive campus of Qatar Foundation’s Education City, an educational and research hub.
Inside, more than 150 works and objects – including paintings, sculptures, films, tapestries and photos – map the astonishing breadth of Husain’s career, offering visitors a rare window into the artist’s late-life reflections and inspirations.
Husain always wanted his museum to feel like home, says Noof Mohammed, the curator. “We want visitors to experience the world as he did, in an intimate, playful and reflective manner.”
Few artists have travelled as widely, or imaginatively, as Husain. His horses – muscular and dynamic – remain some of the most prized and instantly recognisable paintings in contemporary art, sold for millions of dollars.
An artist who was often described to have a nomadic and bohemian disposition, he dabbled seamlessly with Cubist-inspired modernism and traditional Indian themes, creating bold and vibrant canvases with scenes from history and mythology.
His signature style earned him the moniker of “the Picasso of India”. He also made two Bollywood films, which failed at the box office.
Husain was also never without controversy. His paintings of nude Hindu goddesses angered hardline Hindus who accused him of obscenity, forcing him into a self-imposed exile.
After a tumultous few years, it was in Qatar, away from the cultural battles at home, that he entered a period of deep contemplation and artistic renewal.
“He was deeply engaged here, charmed and inspired by the Arab civilisation and culture,” Yousef Ahmad, a Qatar-based artist who knew Husain during his final years, told the BBC.
“People often forget that some of his most ambitious works in later life were conceived in Qatar.”
It is fitting then that the Lawh Wa Qalam museum refuses to be a conventional tribute to the artist.
One of the museum’s main attractions is Seeroo fi al ardh (Walk In The Land), the ambitious multimedia project that occupied Husain’s final years, which he envisaged as a narrative of civilisation told through movement, sound and mechanical choreography.
In fact, the museum building itself is inspired by a 2008 sketch Husain made, showing two sculptural masses – the vivid blue-grey house connected by a cylindirical tower.
Indian architect Martand Khosla, who designed the structure with the Qatar Foundation, recalls the challenge of working from a single drawing, imagining countless conversations with the artist.
“A sketch does not have scale. It is an intent. And converting that intent into an actual functional museum was a different ballgame,” he tells the BBC.
Rather than treating Husain’s sketch as a blueprint, Mr Khosla used it as a philosophical starting point: “What should remain literal and what is metaphorical?”
“It was like developing a new architectural language,” he says.
The result is a labyrinthine layout that invites visitors to wander, exploring every line, shade, and shadow as if following Husain’s own brushstrokes.
“We hope the museum sparks discovery the same way Husain’s murals do – each visit can reveal a completely different experience or discovery ” Mr Khosla says.
Each gallery opens with a Husain quote, inviting visitors into his thoughts. Long corridors lead to immersive displays of paintings, sculptures, and everyday objects – including his old Indian passport – tell the story of an artist, filmmaker, and philosopher who traveled the world yet never stopped yearning for India.
Not surprisingly, Husain’s beloved horses take centre stage in the museum.
“We have tried to gather oral histories by talking to people who knew Husain, such as his driver, collaborators and friends, to give a personal sense of who he was,” Ms Mohammed explains.
Mr Ahmad, the artist, says the museum’s interactive format offers a chance to understand the artist beyond the public controversies and lore that defined his life.
Many recall Husain as the barefoot, eccentric artist with flowing white hair and a penchant for controversies.
“But at his core, he was a genius who was endlessly fascinated by storytelling, whether it was through mythology, modernity or memory,” Mr Ahmad adds.
A lesser-known chapter of Husain’s journey unfolded in the Gulf, which the museum highlights. In his later years, he developed a deep interest in Islamic texts and Arab history.
In 2008, Husain accepted a major commission from Qatar’s Sheikh Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation. From a studio in Doha, he created a vast series celebrating Arab civilisation, exploring Islamic history, faith, and human movement.
Using a rich, bold palette, he depicted Islamic astronomers, philosophers, and desert wanderers with the same kinetic lines that defined his Indian art, but in warmer, earthen ochres reflecting the Gulf’s landscape.
“One of these paintings, The Battle of Badr, a pivotal moment in Islamic history, demonstrates his mastery of both movement and colour as he continued to merge historical and spiritual narratives in his signature style,” Ms Mohammed says.
Husain was commissioned to create 99 works but could complete only 35 in his lifetime, which are now a part of the museum’s collection.
“The plan is to rotate these over time, allowing visitors to experience the full breadth of his work gradually,” Ms Mohammed says.
By showing these alongside his Indian works, the museum not only celebrates Husain’s legacy but also reframes it in a new context.
Though rooted in India, Husain’s worldview and work were shaped by a broader constellation of regions and histories, Mr Khosla says.
“He had multiple identities simultaneously. And that layering is what makes this project incredibly rich.”
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