M. F. Husain

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This article concerns M.F. Husain, the Indian artist. For the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, see Husayn bin Ali. For the late king of Jordan, see Hussein of Jordan.
A watercolour by Husain depicting an Indian woman and a European woman in a palanquin
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A watercolour by Husain depicting an Indian woman and a European woman in a palanquin

Maqbool Fida Husain, (born September 17, 1915, Pandharpur) popularly known as M F Husain, is a well known Indian artist. After a long, successful and largely uncontroversial career, his work became enmeshed in violent religious controversy in the late 1990s, to such extent that he was forced to leave India because of threats to his life.

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[edit] Early years

Husain comes from a Muslim Indian family. His mother died when he was one and a half years old. His father remarried and moved to Indore, where Husain went to school. In 1935, he moved to Bombay and was admitted to the Sir J. J. School of Art. He started off by painting cinema hoardings. He first became well-known as an artist in the late 1940s. In 1947, he joined the Progressive Artists Group, founded by Francis Newton Souza. This was a clique of young artists who wished to break with the nationalist traditions established by the Bengal school of art and to encourage an Indian avant-garde, engaged at an international level. In 1952, his first solo exhibition was held at Zürich and over the next few years, his work was widely seen in Europe and USA.

In 1966, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree prize by the Government of India. He has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. In the following year, he made his first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter. It was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear.[1]

[edit] Later years

Husain went on to become the highest paid painter in India. His single canvases have fetched up to 2 million dollars at a recent Christie's auction. In recognition of his distinction, he was appointed to a term in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of India's parliament.

He has also worked (produced & directed) on few movies, including Gaja Gamini (with his muse Madhuri Dixit who was the subject of a series of his paintings which he signed Fida) and Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (with Tabu). His autobiography is being made into a movie tentatively titled "The Making of the Painter.", starring Shreyas Talpade as the young Husain.[2]


[edit] Controversy

In the 1990s some of Husain's works became controversial because of their portrayal of Hindu deities in the nude. The paintings in question were created in 1970, but did not become an issue until they were printed in a Hindu monthly magazine in 1996. The controversy escalated to the extent that Husain's house was attacked by Shiv Sena and art works destroyed. Charges of "promoting enmity between different groups ... by painting Hindu goddesses — Durga and Sarswati — in an uncharitable manner hurting the sentiments of Hindus" had been dismissed by the Delhi High Court in 2004.[3] However, in February 2006 Husain was arrested and charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.[4]

Protests against Husain led to the closure of an exhibition in London, England. Despite the protests, there have been attempts to reinstate his London show.[5]

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) (USA, Massachusetts) is showing a solo exhibition from 4th November 2006 to 3rd June 2007. It exhibits Husain’s paintings illustrating the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. The hard-line Hindutva group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has claimed that the exhibition includes the "blasphemous" portrayals of Hindu deities.[6] They argue that,

This series includes blasphemous Hindu deities' paintings. More over the honorable courts of India have already summoned and issued warrants against Mr. Husain in various cities like Indore, Delhi, etc., since mid-March 2006, for hurting religious sentiments and creating communal disharmony. That is why; M. F. Husain has been cited as absconding to UK. So exhibiting Husain's paintings will be monetary help to a criminal. Thus Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) is protesting this exhibition.[7]

In response to the controversy, Husain's admirers have petitioned the goverment to grant Husain the Bharat Ratna, India's highest award. The petition praises Husain because his "life and work are beginning to serve as an allegory for the changing modalities of the secular in modern India — and the challenges that the narrative of the nation holds for many of us. This is the opportune and crucial time to honour him for his dedication and courage to the cultural renaissance of his beloved country."[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Profile of M. F. Husain at 20th Century Museum of Contemporary Indian Art web site - URL retrieved August 22, 2006
  2. ^ IndiaFM News Bureau, August 22, 2006 - 09:00 IST; Counterfiet artist
  3. ^ The Hindu online edition: Delhi High Court dismisses complaints against M.F. Husain - URL retrieved August 22, 2006
  4. ^ Rediff India Abroad: M F Husain booked for his paintings of nude gods - URL retrieved August 22, 2006
  5. ^ Should Husain's paintings be re-displayed ? - URL retrieved August 30, 2006
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ A petition against MF Husain Protest MF Husaian's exhibition at PEM - URL retrieved October 30, 2006
  8. ^ The Shashi Tharoor Column, The Hindu, November 26, 2006- URL retrieved November 26, 2006

[edit] External links

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