M.F. Husain Museum Is Set To Open In Qatar This November

It’s a surreal moment when a painting comes to life. In a momentous unveiling, Qatar Foundation is set to open a cultural landmark in Doha in late November dedicated to the life and work of the modernist artist Maqbool Fida Husain. Aptly christened ‘Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum’ is the world’s first museum and largest institution dedicated to chronicling Husain’s artistic odyssey. ‘Lawh Wa Qalam’ loosely translates to canvas and pen. Nestled within the Education City of Doha, the museum’s permanent collection spans painting, film, tapestry, photography, poetry, and installations representing six decades of the artist’s practice. “It is an honour to present his work within a dedicated museum of this scale – a space where audiences can engage deeply with his life, his art, and his enduring global legacy,” remarks Kholoud M. Al-Ali, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Programming, Qatar Foundation.

Also Read: A Private Museum Of Arts Opens In Kazakhstan With A Fresh Take On Central Asian Art

In The City Of Exile

Tracing the artist’s journey from his work in the 1950s until his death in 2011, the museum’s location feels particularly fitting, as Qatar became a home for Husain during his self-imposed exile from India. Shuttling between Dubai, London, and Qatar during these years, he ultimately accepted Qatar’s offer to confer nationality upon him in 2010, surrendering his Indian passport and becoming an Overseas Citizen of India. Finally, passing away in London in 2011, at the age of 95. 

Fourteen years after his death, his art shattered records and redefined the South Asian art market with ‘Untitled (Gram Yatra).’ This mural became the first Indian artwork to cross ₹100 crore, selling for $13.75 million at Christie’s Rockefeller Centre auction on March 19, 2025. Just eight months later, the Qatar Foundation announces its plan for the museum. Its opening comes at a time of rising Western interest in Modernism, while the Indian art market continues to grow gradually. With a roster of deeply immersive art experiences, this museum explores the influences, philosophies, and memories that crafted his practice. A glimpse inside the flamboyant world of M.F. Husain, “This museum will illustrate the power of creativity to inspire, educate, and foster the cross-cultural understanding that connects communities and worlds,” muses Al-Ali.

Also Read: In A Historic Sale, M.F. Husain’s 1954 Work Sets ₹100 Crore Record For Indian Art

Reviving An Old Sketch

We often behold paintings of cityscapes and surreal landscapes and ponder what might happen were they to come to life. In a serendipitous occurrence, M.F. Husain’s own sketches from 2008, titled ‘M.F. Husain Art & Cinema Museum,’ will be brought to life by architect Martand Khosla as his very own museum. Spanning 3,000 sq. m., it stands as a manifestation of Husain’s aspiration, almost as though he had once foreseen a space where his art would transcend the canvas and inhabit the real world. 

Also Read: teamLab Phenomena Opens In Abu Dhabi: The Intersection Of Technology And Nature

The sketch features an arid landscape punctuated with greenery, and a river where a cobalt structure stands flanked by an abstract interpretation of a minaret. The structures feature recurring apertures reminiscent of Urdu calligraphy. The entryway to the structure is through a yellow pathway, akin to a red carpet in Bollywood, paying homage to the ‘cinema’ that Husain often described as his first love.

Also Read: The Fondation Louis Vuitton Presents The First Retrospective In Paris, France, Dedicated To Mark Rothko

The Pioneer Of Modernism

His artistic rite of passage began with painting Bollywood film hoardings before his rise in the 1940s, with works reflecting the vibrant and larger-than-life strokes of the billboards. His paintings illustrated everyday life in India, its mythology and folklore, and motifs such as the horse, all of which he rendered in bright, expressive forms. During the Independence movement, as young painters navigated the evolving currents of modern art—beyond revivalist nationalism and colonial academic realism—a new artistic language was quietly brewing on the canvases. This ‘modern artistic idiom’ was pioneered by Husain and his peers in the Progressive Artists’ Group, forging a distinctly Indian modern art movement that eventually made him a national icon. However, in the mid-1990s, with vociferous protests against his nude depiction of the Hindu goddess, forced him to move away.

Although far from his homeland, Husain continued to paint stories steeped in legacy, cinema, and mythology, extending his creative vision to films such as ‘Through the Eyes of a Painter’ (1967), ‘Gaja Gamini’ (2000), and the critically acclaimed ‘Meenaxi’ (2004). Building on this creative journey, he moved to the Gulf, where the Qatari royal family offered him significant support, leading to multiple commissioned works, further cementing his legacy in the country. “Maqbool Fida Husain was one of the world’s most legendary modernists, an artist whose vision emerged from and resonated across different cultures, including here in Qatar, where he lived and practised during his life,” reflects Al-Ali.

Also Read: Landmark Museum Opening Slated For July: Egypt’s GEM Nears Completion

Inside The World Of M.F. Husain

The permanent collection inside the museum will include a series of paintings commissioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser—Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and the wife of the former emir of Qatar. These works were inspired by Arab civilisation and were completed in the artist’s final years in Qatar. Her Highness amassed many of his paintings and, in 2009, commissioned his last major work, ‘Seeroo fi al ardh’ (Walking in the Earth), an enormous painting installation depicting the progress of humanity, which was finished posthumously in 2019.

The opening of the ‘Lawh Wa Qalam: M.F. Husain Museum’ is a fitting testament to Qatar Foundation’s 30-year legacy of cultivating a globally unique ecosystem spanning education, research, innovation, and community engagement. By championing Husain’s artistic journey, it preserves the legacy of the artist, fostering creativity, cross-cultural understanding, and inspiring new generations.

The museum will open to the public on November 28, 2025.