Lawh wa Qalam | M.F. Husain Museum Exhibition

by Alexandra Mansilla

An Opening Not To Miss: Lawh Wa Qalam, M. F. Husain Museum

1 Oct 2025

It was announced today that on November 28, Qatar Foundation will open Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, dedicated to the life and work of one of the giants of modern art, Maqbool Fida Husain.

Often called the “Picasso of India,” Maqbool Fida Husain (1915–2011) was a founding member of the Progressive Artists’ Group in Bombay and one of the most celebrated modernists of the 20th century. His bold, expressive style — simplified forms, vibrant colours, and a blend of modernist language with Indian themes — made him instantly recognisable. Horses, mother-and-child figures, and scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana appeared again and again in his work. But painting was just one part of his world: he also created prints, sculptures, and films, even winning a prize at the Berlin Film Festival in 1967 for Through the Eyes of a Painter. In his later years, Husain lived in Qatar and London, carrying both controversy and acclaim, but always remaining at the centre of India’s modern art story.

Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, Doha. Photo: courtesy Qatar Foundation

The museum itself is a work of art — its design is based on a sketch Husain made for the building, reflecting his vision that architecture, too, could be part of his creative legacy.

M.F. Husain‘s sketch. Photo: courtesy Qatar Foundation

So what will visitors find inside? Essentially, Husain’s universe. The museum promises to open up the influences, philosophies, and memories that shaped his career. Through multimedia storytelling and works spanning paintings, films, tapestry, photography, and poetry, it will bring Husain’s creativity to life in bold and innovative ways for audiences in Qatar and beyond.

Among the highlights will be more than 35 large-scale paintings inspired by Arab civilisation — a commission from Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation — which Husain completed before his death.

And for those who know Husain’s final masterpiece, Seeroo fi al ardh — the spectacular installation in Education City celebrating the progress of humanity — it will also be part of the museum, transformed into a gallery of its own with a specially curated show.

Visiting Lawh Wa Qalam will be a chance to step into Husain’s world in a very direct way — to see how his ideas unfolded across painting, film, and design, and how the themes he returned to again and again still resonate. For visitors, it is less about grand statements and more about small discoveries — colours, figures, fragments of stories — that add up to a fuller picture of why Husain continues to matter. So mark your calendars for November 28 — this is an opening worth experiencing.

by Alexandra Mansilla

An Opening Not To Miss: Lawh Wa Qalam, M. F. Husain Museum

1 Oct 2025

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