The Qatar Foundation (QF), a Qatar-based non-profit body established in 1995, unveiled the Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain T Museum as a tribute to the legacy of the celebrated artist Maqbool Fida Husain. The foundation is dedicated to advancing long-term human, social and economic progress through programmes centred on education. scientific advancement, research and the strengthening of communities. Situated in Education City, Doha, the 3,000-square-metre museum stands as the world’s first and largest institution solely focused on chronicling Husain’s creative evolution, beginning in the 1950s. The earliest piece on view is his Doll’s Wedding, and the collection continues through to the final years of his life in 2011. A total of 150 items are exhibited, encompassing paintings, films, tapestries, photographs, poetry and installation art, with several works presented using immersive multimedia techniques.
Also exhibited is a collection of artworks created on the commission of Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, drawing inspiration from the richness of Arab civilisation. The institution further houses Husain’s last large-scale kinetic work, Seero fe al ardh, which was envisioned in 2009 for the Qatar Foundation. This installation brings together a mosaic featuring a horse, figures of Abbas Ibn Firnas and Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine, brightly coloured glass horses, along with vintage automobiles, symbolising humankind’s journey of advancement on Earth. In addition to the principal exhibition halls, the facility features office spaces, research and conference areas, a café, and a conservation and restoration workshop. A modest retail space within the museum offers for sal prints and keepsakes related to Husain work.
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The story of Maqbool Fida Husain closely mirrors many of the defining moments that shaped the Indian subcontinent over a span of more than five decades. In the year of India’s independence, Husain, together with several other prominent artists in Bombay, including FN Souza and SH Raza, established the Progressive Artists Group, which played a crucial role in guiding Indian art towards a modernist movement.
Husain passed away at the age of 95, leaving behind an extraordinary body of nearly 40,000 creations, all deeply influenced by the diverse traditions and cultural legacy of his homeland. His artistic output spanned a wide range of mediums, including oil and watercolour paintings, lithographs, serigraphs, sculptures and installations, as well as poetry written in Urdu, Hindi and English, and films, among them the 1967 Golden Bear-winning Through the Eyes of a Painter.
The artist wove India deeply into his creative practice, capturing the nation’s post-colonial evolution, its diversity, political currents, film industry, folklore, religions and mythic traditions and more. Although he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha and honoured with three Padma awards, certain works provoked strong backlash from right-wing groups, these controversies ultimately resulted in his self-imposed exile and the acquisition of Qatari citizenship in 2010.
The Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum stands not merely as a physical space, but as a lasting testament to the life, vision and artistic courage of one of the most influential figures in modern Indian art. By tracing his journey from the early days of independence to his final years in Qatar, the museum captures the evolution of a singular creative mind and the stories of culture and changes that shaped his world.
