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New Doha museum celebrates MF Husain's legacy
A striking grey-blue building in Qatar's Education City now houses Lawh Wa Qalam, the first museum dedicated to the late Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain. Opened last week, the 3,000-square-meter space showcases over 150 works spanning paintings, sculptures, films, and personal artifacts from Husain's prolific career.
A home for an artistic nomad
Curator Noof Mohammed describes the museum as a space designed to reflect Husain's worldview-intimate, playful, and reflective. The artist, who spent his final years in Qatar and received citizenship in 2010, envisioned the museum as a second home. His signature horses, bold canvases, and controversial works are displayed alongside everyday objects, including his old Indian passport.
From sketch to structure
The museum's design draws from a 2008 sketch by Husain, featuring two sculptural masses connected by a cylindrical tower. Indian architect Martand Khosla, who collaborated with the Qatar Foundation, transformed the sketch into a functional space without treating it as a rigid blueprint.
"A sketch does not have scale. It is an intent. Converting that intent into an actual museum was a different ballgame," Khosla told the BBC.
Martand Khosla, Architect
The result is a labyrinthine layout where visitors wander through galleries, each opening with a Husain quote, mirroring the artist's own brushstrokes.
Controversy and creativity
Husain, often called the "Picasso of India," faced backlash for his paintings of nude Hindu goddesses, leading to self-imposed exile. In Qatar, he found artistic renewal, creating works inspired by Arab civilization and Islamic history. A 2008 commission from Qatar Foundation's Sheikh Moza bint Nasser led to a series celebrating Islamic heritage, though Husain completed only 35 of the planned 99 works before his death.
A global perspective
The museum highlights Husain's later-life fascination with Islamic texts and Arab history, displayed alongside his Indian works. Qatar-based artist Yousef Ahmad, who knew Husain, noted his deep engagement with the region's culture.
"People often forget that some of his most ambitious works were conceived in Qatar," Ahmad said.
Yousef Ahmad, Artist
Curator Mohammed added that the museum's rotating exhibits will gradually reveal the full scope of Husain's work, offering fresh perspectives on his layered identity.
Beyond the controversies
The museum aims to move past Husain's public persona-barefoot, eccentric, and controversial-to showcase his genius as a storyteller. Oral histories from friends, collaborators, and even his driver provide a personal glimpse into his life.
"At his core, he was endlessly fascinated by storytelling, whether through mythology, modernity, or memory," Ahmad said.
