Why MF Husain Wanted to Burn His Paintings Before He Died?
We mostly talked about Hindi literature with a focus on poetry. They love poetry a lot. There are a lot of poets around, and the world is full of literature. We also talk a lot about poetry, but beyond that, we mostly talk about what poems the other is writing or reading — at least when we’re on the phone. It is their in hungry creativeness that they share with your friends. The little things at the end of conversation happen without talking about them directly. Husain writes in the style of a painter. He had penned the poem for Swami’s journal, Contra, many years ago. It is in the language of a painter, this poem. whose brown burns in me in the poem “Cracks in Rembrandt” This is one of those purely painterly phrases. 1966—this poem
I am aware of
Cracks in Remebrandt
Whose Brown Burns in Me
Though
Rock-rust boots Are ditched – deep
Yet
The silky sun there Shrills me
Husain writes through his experience rather than trying to force his writing into an ideological or theoretical framework. I think he knows there is no such thought to be instated. Well he has confessed to the same goal for his paintings, ‘I want to burn my paintings before I die. This speaks to his interpretation of the creative realm, its meaning or lack thereof, or the ephemeral profundity of living briefly in a universe that exists in infinite time. This is his attitude towards his prose as well. He shares it the same way, as in when it immediately comes to him (comes to his mind right away) and writes uncensored. He was in London the other day, reading me a new chapter from his book. Chapter: Two Roti — Title This chapter is not a description of the labors he dreamed over rotating two roti in his life. Rather, it is an honest reflection of his own lived reality that encapsulates the significance of two roti in anyone’s life—regardless of who they are—in plain spoken prose. It also lets us know — and is a bit of his humor — that he is into the smaller things that people do everyday…and what they really mean. They are his writing: the bitter-sweet fruit of experience.
But one of the things that distinguishes Husain from his writing, and helps explain why he is so likeable, is how easy it is for him to laugh at himself. He can joke about his own comments and is just that chilled out with himself. You would never guess you were in the presence of one of the most significant and stylish painters of this century. You feel at comfort with him almost instantly. He knows how to build an atmosphere around him where a new and unknown individual can fit in perfectly like groove into a conversation by saying the feeling of Yes…. And again, the same shows up in his prose. He is aware of the power of his writing and writes beautifully well; his prose being as luscious, vivid and moving as his paintings. His words are vibrant and tasty, not dry.
It does not matter if it is his autobiography, a few lines written on the occasion of a new exhibition or thoughts from the series or during painting — his writing is always perfect, gripping and engaging. There is an urgency in it, a directness, but same as the long poem he wrote on Gaja Gamini. Addressing this poem to his mother and Madhuri Dixit, he implies that if the image of his mother is incomplete to him,, Madhuri fills it exactly: their bit at the beginning about how what he has with Madhuri vis-a-vis his cricketer mum is such sonic and sonic love. This connection was created by Husain. His mother has been dead since he was six months old, and when he sees Madhuri, she is the same womanish age his mother would rightly now be. He could not picture his mothers face from memory, and so he never painted her. The women he painted, have no faces. He never makes the figure from his mother which is missing in his memory.
He did this with Mother Teresa, for example; he actually met her, accompanied her and trudged through the Kolkata streets where she ministered to the poor — but never captured her visage. Her is represented in the blue bands in his paintings and by them, Mother Teresa portrayed. So, while he could have chosen to paint her in the conventional style, he simply sees his mother as an archetype and thus chooses not to give her face. He is on autopilot mode due to this awareness or implicit bias. She is in her absence. radically here in the form of his mother She is present but not her presence. His poetry, too, is an example of that.
Having a vast influence of literature to his credit, husain’s diction is literally studded massively with poetic choicest couplets and lines; mostly in urdu and persian. Traducción inmediata: Este muchacho conoce estos idiomas como la palma de su mano. Once, a few days later after he made it to the cover page of The Times Of India for New Year with his painting, I asked him about it. I was curious to know about the painting. This was inspired by a line from Shamshur Rahman Faruqi’s poem ‘Patjhar’, “A yellow evening / A leaf of autumn slightly stuck”. The slight nuance of this line, the subtle ‘stuckness’, Husain could sense it. Literary-minded, his visual language is vast.
He drops Persian couplets in casual conversation, translating as he goes along. His prose was graceful, sophisticated and ever so slightly whimsical to boot. He throws in contemporary references and covers any subject you can think of, from the rarely-used word to cinema, politics, sport — anything goes. Husain, here is a man of such sophistication and refinement; He never seems to stupidly slip into a lower level — his prosody, topics of conversation and musings on his craft always etymological and seeped in substance. It represents a whole century of existence, and imbues his experiences with purpose that gives meaning even to all the things he observes, reads or comprehends. This is fun and polished for a listener or viewer. The proof to this is seen in the poetry of Husain.
(1)
Send me a snow-covered blanket of the sky, without a single stain. How can I depict the circle of your endless melancholy with white flowers?
When I start painting, hold the sky in your hands, for I am unaware of the expanse of my canvas.
(2)
The marks of my letters, with their burning voices, might extinguish the icy cold of the whole month inside your carved door.
Lock your door and throw the keys away. Let my letter remain unread.
(3)
Now, young leaves melt in the smoke of chimneys, and the wet paper of the sky leans against the poles with lanterns. A gleaming milk cart illuminates the road, and a boy, walking barefoot up the temple steps, begins to cry out in the empty city.
There, the echoing voice of existence bursts forth in laughter.
(4)
The blue night slips off her blanket, leaving a mark on her thigh.
Far away, the yellow-brown hues of bodies quiver behind the boats.
Suddenly, a white colour cuts across the horizon, leaving the scene below stunned.
Slate-coloured sand remains covered by her blanket.
Feature Image: Law Of Attraction, MF Husain – Canvas Prints| Courtesy: allengestore
Why did MF Husain Include a Curse in His Painting?
At that time, if Husain was anything, we felt he would be a more formidable presence than his creative presence. At the College of Arts, Indore, where FNP was then a student, attention first turned to his creative presence when a book published by the Tata Institute landed at their table. This book likely came courtesy of Husain himself to his college. One day, a few of us students of our college principal Chandraesh Saxena were called to his office and there he showed this book. It was quite a thick book. But we were captivated by the summons of another kind onto its pages. In one of the pages we turned, there it was: a painting called Between Spider and Lamp. Saxena Sir introduced us to it and mentioned that it was Husain’s one of the most critical painting, we need to have a closer look. We observed it closely for a few hours but our prudently exams were of no account. And we had no ideas what we were seeing. Nor did we recognize this as the painting that would set the course of contemporary art in India. We were hoping to move on, but the Saxena Sir pointed out, “Pay attention; this painting has a hidden curse”. Above the painting, there were a couple of letters and symbols painted. Why curse in the first place, we thought, for someone as visible as Banksy? So, we motivated to find this curse and started looking at the painting properly every morning when we reached college. The search for the curse began to forge a relation with here traced image. It is when the symbols in the painting started telling what made Husain, a Iconic figure as he was. The art language of Husain was now understood. I never encountered the curse in that painting, but it lingered with me. A Few Years Later, and as the Faculty was discussed with Husain. I said, “you wrote some letters atop that painting and… Saxena Sir told you wrote a curse. What did you actually write?” He said, “Oh I was seeing three people then; the letters are their initials.” The letters scrawled into the painting were not a nothing but a few initials of his lovers. The master would say that no symbol in a painting is ever just a symbol; it becomes a metaphor. The letters were now metaphorical. Four or five of these had become metaphors in the painting. Thus, there this link with Husain’s paintings began, and that it deepened with his frequent mention in the family and what my father told me. It then became apparent that Husain’s forms corresponded with Indian sculpture, particularly the Gupta period statues and Chola metal sculptures. It was related to the authentic roots of art and echoed with contemporary Indian folk culture. A sort of juxtaposition between modernity and Indian tradition.
Here is why my relationship with him deepened twice. First, he was one of my father’s closest friends. Second, every time we got together the conversation centered on fellow artists. For I had no interest in anything else, so with him I kept talking about what I thought mattered most in art. There were lots of stuff we never talked about, no dramas or issues that would only last for awhile. We spent time together in creative conversations. And it was always more than just killing time.
A painter is surrounded by forms (both natural and mechanical), but this memory, upon which it depends, contains the essence of experience — the distillation of forms simpliciter and form-relationships extramundane.
Every time we talked, he would always make it a point to inquire about how my work was progressing, about where I currently had pieces on exhibit. The only thing he ever worried about was what was happening in my world. The other worry an my job at Bharat Bhavan! Early on he would say: “This isn’t your work; leave it alone.” Every time we met, the first question that emerged was when the hell are you quitting your job. Once, he arrived home and sketched a falcon with a line of poetry from Iqbal that went “Tú shāhīn hai, parwāz hai kām terā” (You are an eagle; it is your job to soar). He said, “Just fly.” His interest in my art world is an important thing for me. He was thrilled the day I quit my job. It also helped deepen our relationship. The fact that he stays concerned about an unknown artist like me and gives time for all this is his greatness. His relationship with no one else is like this, other artists are also there. He makes a couple of artist acquaintances, but nothing more. He provides a moral support. He has always abided by my wishes. One instance of this is the ‘Anadi’ art exhibition. These are few of the glimpses revealed in the display I set with Ratnottama Sengupta at Delhi. At least forty-five artists from Madhya Pradesh participated in the exhibition. When I thought about this, why not Husain Sir inaugurate that exhibition. I approached him are like, “We’re having an art exhibition. Could you inaugurate it?” He replied, “Yes, why not? I will do it.” I requested him to pen down the invitation letter as well. He agreed. The invitation letter was something like, “Exhibition Inagurated by The Great Artist M.F.Husain. As he started to write the text, he arrived at the line “eminent artist,” and said “I am not eminent and I am not an artist — how can I write this?” You are coming from the wrong side I replied back, you should be writing this instead as an acclaimed artist and your invitation is on out behalf not yours. He said, “No way… this is my handwriting so it would be wrong” That held him up for ten to fifteen minutes. For some crazy reason, I managed to convince him that writing is writing and not an invitation. After much persuasion, he wrote “eminient artist,” but didn’t even truly buy that until the very end. So I called him the morning of there show for an update and realized he was in Mumbai!!! I said but you had to open the exhibition that evening! He replied- I forgot I was in Mumbai At two o’clock, he appeared out of nowhere. He stayed until five, talked to some of the artists, hung the paintings with very specific instructions as how they should be hung and viewed. All were happy that Husain Sir was there to drink tea and talk about everybody’s work. The night of the informal soft-opening had gone. He left for Mumbai at five. It was the formal inauguration by guests who arrived in evening for their personal moments captured though camera. He kept his promise. Husain is different from other artists, he has many unique qualities. No… his extreme affection and quick detachment is inbuilt. His qualities are his total attachment, and total non-attachment. He is special for these traits, as compared to all other artists. And maybe that’s why he is Husain. I add perhaps, because there might still be alot more to know about him.
As a child, one morning we spotted a man coming to our home with basket full of jalebis at six o’clock in the morning. He was too charismatic a figure, a brilliant personality with a charming aura. We all enjoyed the jalebis. Years later, as we got to know him as Husain, he turned up early one morning with jalebis at six or seven. This instantly connected with that memory of childhood and it occurred to me, who this was. He came by our house only in the morning never any other time, always between six to seven. I dont remember Him ever coming without the warm jalebis.
He opened a group art show in the late 1970s, one my friends had got together. Meanwhile, my friend’s sweet shop was getting interior work done. So we drove into town and discovered that one of the art galleries was closed, while another had exhibitions by other artists. It was forlorn just sitting in the shop where the interior work was being done — what he hell do we do now?! When we said that we were looking for a site to do the exhibition, then the person who was doing up their house suggested that we exhibit in there. He told us he was going to convert the store into a gallery. He turned the coffee shop into a nice gallery over one night. And by the next day we could hardly tell where we were. So we took the exhibition there and it was inaugurated by husain. He appreciated the room and was happy.
We Tierd 2 city Indore, where: had a small group of friends. So if any artist landed to Indore we use to have art exhibitions and called upon them. In this way we have been lucky to share a few private hours with these artists. Of all, it was N. S. «Whoever» Bendre relinquished our pleas. He did not come. We told him to come over any day of the artsong exhibition, but he didn’t. Husain was inspired by Bendre which in itself is quite interesting. However, Husain is not ungrateful: “Bendre first gave me an identity as an artist; he even came and met my father to ask him to send me here,” says Husain. Husain never forgot this debt of gratitude.
Bcoz I dont Know that my vains strech to ur hands, So now will start painting the sky into your hands…
Husain visited all my art shows barring one group show. A show that we had organized in Mumbai in the 1990s with works of Harsh Swaminathan, Bhagwan Chauhan, Sudhakar Yadav and myself. So, as usual I called him to invite (saying baba hum exhibition kar rahe hai,aao na mere ghar) He asked, “Where is it?” So, i informed him that one could see it at the Jahangir Art Gallery. To that he answered where is this Jahangir Art Gallery(IServiceCollection) I knew something was fishy about Jahangir and Husain. I learned later that Artists and connoisseurs who were the so called committee instead of confirming from Husain had listed him black among JAHANGIR ART GALLERY SPONSOR MANAGEMENT. The cause was an installation that Mr. Kumar presented in a show titled “Shvetambari,” which consisted of white cloth stretched across the entire gallery and thousands of torn newspapers strewn on the floor. This may have been his premier installation. While the controversy ensuing from this arrangement raged, the committee was upset Husain chose to exhibit non-paintings at the Jahangir Art Gallery. They banned him, and only lifted it after a long time— three years. Husain bought these trucks and brought in to display when the ban was lifted. I think he never showed at Jahangir again. Even after calling him to come for at least three or four times he didnt. He called only on the last day to say that he was coming tomorrow. We told him that the exhibition is over as today is final day. He said, alright la (okay), all you gather at my house. Tomorrow morning we will go have one for breakfast.” At his house, we arrived and talked until one o’clock and the breakfast was long over. We then left and Harsh announced, “I’m so hungry.”The original chapter in Hindi was
Why Did M.F. Husain Choose to Walk Barefoot?
“I am the sound of silent footsteps; listen closely, and you might hear it.
Interviewing Maqbool Fida Husain (Baba ) is like interviewing a century personified. I had many encounters with him, all of which leave so many memories behind, including his work ethic. He was busy the majority of his day working. I hardly ever came in contact with him, when he was not drawing or spent a morning, an afternoon or an evening without painting something. Which is nearly unimaginable, because he just seems like one of those artists that — lived to paint. Even he used to have a studio set up on the set, where he would draw between shoots for that matter. And from what I have seen with other painters this is a very individual process. Husain, however, is on a different league. He devoted his entire life to painting. He is a pure, complete and well-rounded artist.
1974 was the year I first met him as a painter. He had come to Indore and that time I was in college. Then we came to know Husain Sahab is in town, so we quickly decided to host a group Art show and asked him if he can do the inaugural honours. His enchanting personality and enthralling voice made our exhibition an unforgettable experience. He is so inescapably present that the separating of him as a human from him as an artist would appear quite near impossible. He is a great painter and a wonderful person. You will always view both sides. Then he would say, “Lets go for a tea,” after the opening of the exhibition. Instead,we would go to a tea stall in the Bombay Bazaar—a favorite one of his from years ago—and drink tea there. Then, we would come back up to the show. That was the kind of person he was: nothing mattering and everything at stake. He is graceful, elegant and truly — very alive…beating his heart every minute. Something unexpected is always happening around him that you could never dream of.
He suddenly came to the college a day, and said I want to create an art work for this place. We soon found a canvass and Husain started his work. He began the painting from the bottom end of the canvas, and fashioned these shapes that looked kinda erotic. It was sensuous, the painting that was forming. Slowly and slowly it progressed, till when we realised that this room was being painted as Ganesha. There was nothing of the carnal in it. But his method and the manner in which he started the painting would have left others questioning what it was that Michelangelo had been doing. This is what makes Husain different — the way he visualises his paintings. He could go from anywhere to any take the painting in any direction. He could turn any shape, form, colour or line into something else entirely. And there are so so many stories like this one that keep unfurling every time you meet someone doesn’t it? Every time we met, an anecdote on Husain was thrown at us. It really helped us realise that creativity is not limited. Even at ninety-five today, the energy and quickness that he paints with is well beyond any normal painter—certainly far more than I could manage. This magic belongs to Husain and only for him. His mind, memory jokes and brilliant intellect are as lucid as ever; unwavering even at this age. You can present ideas to him, but you cannot dictate them.
Initially I had two opposite perceptions of Husain. I knew him in many ways: an internationally famous painter; he also walked barefoot everywhere. There was a paradox in this that fascinated me. He used to come home once in a while as our friendship grew. Instantly, I glanced down to his feet for a potential sight of sandals. His feet were bare. Then after I spent 3 days back to back with him and friends in Indore. The rest of us had sandals on up to our ankles, or something like that; and he was comfortably barefoot.
Only one occurred, however, apparently due to his tendency not to wear shoes. When he went to pick up the Padma Shri from the President of India, he did so barefoot much to the ire on media. It is against protocol and disrespectful to the President they said. Afterwards we discovered he had sworn never to wear sandals following the 1964 funeral of his friend Muktibodh. He was so close to Muktibodh that when his friend passed on, he sacrificed something in remembrance of his friendship and never looked back.
Once Husain recounted this amusing anecdote to me Playfully, “I wore a white shoe in one foot and black on other and went around all my friends who are painters house. Not a single one noticed. As I was leaving (I literally had to be like, look I wore two different shoes – one black, one white. And this is his case of humor. The ironic part, of course, is that all the people he had visited were painters for whom ‘seeing’ should be paramount, and yet none them noticed—even among our pre-eminent artists.
Husain was a great raconteur. The story went viral, as it admittedly is a compelling tale on its own. Of course, had Husain not been a famous painter he would have been a celebrated writer. He was an ardent story-teller, and he told tales in his own way. At times, he wrote picture postcards to his friends; the cards were both a form of storytelling—with words and with images.
In those days, we were giving lectures at college and dreaming to become prominent like Husain. Husain was a live picture in front of our eyes to follow. We started focusing on his paintings during that time. He developed his paintings from Indian Culture-rich background. For example, probably we were unable to understand the paintings painted by him when, but he was beautiful rich cultural and enriched character that we were overshadowed. Many times, we used to see his paintings whether we were able to grasp them or without understanding we were used to see them. Two or thrice his early books along with his paintings, drawing and collages were in my home. Most of my friends used to copy his paintings directly. I used to copy his lines without knowledge his paintings. But it was not suitable to copy their known paintings. I am still influenced by his lines and what had been taught to me regarding his paintings, but I felt it unethical copying his paintings. Many of my friends previous artists did copy his paintings. His horses were so famous. In Indore, many artists were painting only horses. They were painting the exact horse exactly as it was painted by Husain. But these horses were dead one because these horses were not exactly as the real horses it was painted by Husain. It was full of energy. Husain’s horse was like Husain’s horse was beginning from Duldul. It is the leader of the procession of the Muharram in Indore. Duldul is creating procession giving the chance to another one to continue the procession. For Husain, his horses were intellectual, deep faith and his cultural growth. Horses kept values. His horses are Haddi Pachchauli creativities. Husain’s horses were Churning of the ocean and Duldul also. Other artist horses in Indore just imitating Husain, without a soul. I remembered one of his statements “I am selling horses and sleeping( Litereal translation for मैं घोड़े बेच कर सो रहा हूँ)/sleeping like a log
‘The original chapter in Hindi was translated into English from the book Unke Baare Mein authored by Akhilesh.
M.F. Husain’s Art Sparks FIRs: Controversies and Legal Battles Over Artistic Expression
M.F. Husain was even regarded as a colossus in modern Indian art during his lifetime for his bright, incandescent paintings. His artistic legacy has been no less embroiled in controversies. Husain has been in and out of controversies regarding his work, especially when religious sentiments combined with legal aspects. One such major controversy cropped up in the mid-2000s. In 2006, one of Husain’s paintings showed the figure of India naked, titled “Bharat Mata,” for which he received a storm of criticism. The painting was meant for national pride and freedom; yet, it was perceived to be an affront to Hindu sentiments. FIRs were filed in various states on grounds of obscenity and offending religious sentiments. The backlash was fierce, with protests and calls for legal action ensued, demanding his arrest.
This controversy was further compounded by subsequent legal challenges. In 2008, Husain faced additional FIRs for depicting Hindu deities in a manner perceived by some to be provocative and disrespectful. The charges ranged from offending religious sentiments to charges of obscenity. These court battles, too, were not merely confined to the courtroom but were played out in front of the public eye and impinged upon the reputation and personal safety of Husain. Legal pressure on Husain reached a fever pitch in 2010, when again the artist faced criticism and legal threats. The controversies reached a head when Husain decided to live in self-imposed exile, in fear for his life from unrelenting hostility and threats.
Husain’s legal turmoil underlines a wider tension between artistic freedom and cultural sensitivities in India. His works, often challenging convention and dealing with complex themes, were a statement to his boldness and his creative vision. Yet, this backlash that he faced underlines the delicate balance that artists have to make between their creative expression and societal expectations. Whatever the case, M.F. Husain’s legacy remains important. His work continues to be celebrated for its innovation and depth, reflecting a unique blend of traditional Indian themes with modern artistic sensibilities.
Beyond His Art What M.F. Husain Left Behind
M.F. Husain, whom many in the world of art hail as the “Picasso of India,” splashed into the limelight with his colorful and controversial paintings. His legacies live not only in his masterpieces but also in the lives and contributions of his six children: Shamsad Husain, Owais Husain, Mustafa Husain, Shafaat Husain, Aqueela Husain, and Raisa Husain. Each has cut his or her path in life while being rooted in the aura of their illustrious father.
1. Shamsad Husain: Preserving the Legacy
Shamsad Husain, the eldest of M.F. Husain’s children, has played a crucial role in managing his father’s artistic estate. He was an artist dedicated to preserving and promoting his father’s works, Shamsad has been involved in various initiatives aimed at showcasing M.F. Husain’s contributions to art. His efforts include organizing exhibitions, maintaining archives, and ensuring that the artist’s legacy continues to inspire new generations. He died in 2015 at the age of 69 due to Liver cancer
2. Mustafa Husain: Business and Legacy Management
Mustafa Hussain, the son of the renowned Indian artist M.F. Hussain, is involved in various activities related to art and cultural preservation. He has been working to promote and preserve his father’s artistic legacy. Mustafa has been engaged in organising exhibitions, managing the Hussain family’s art collection, and ensuring that M.F. Hussain’s contributions to art continue to be celebrated and recognised. His work helps maintain the impact and influence of his father’s artistic achievements.
3. Owais Husain: An Artist in His Own Right
Owais Husain, has followed in his father’s footsteps, making a name for himself as a contemporary artist. His work, while distinct from M.F. Husain’s, reflects a deep engagement with visual aesthetics and cultural themes. Owais has exhibited his paintings in galleries both in India and internationally, establishing his own identity in the art world while continuing to honour his father’s influence.
4. Shafaat Husain: Entrepreneurial Ventures
Shafaat Husain, another of M.F. Husain’s sons, has ventured into the business world. His entrepreneurial spirit has led him to explore various business opportunities, reflecting a dynamic approach to professional life. Despite his focus on business, Shafaat remains committed to supporting his father’s artistic legacy and participating in cultural initiatives. His third son, Shafaat, has passed away in July 2024.
5. Aqueela Husain: Philanthropy and Social Causes
Aqueela Husain, the daughter of the renowned Indian artist M.F. Husain, is a prominent figure in the field of art. She is known for her work as a curator and art promoter. Aqueela has been involved in various art projects and exhibitions, contributing to the promotion and preservation of her father’s legacy and the broader art community. She has also been active in organizing art events and working with artists to foster creative expression.
6. Raisa Husain: Cultural Engagement
Raisa Husain has focused on promoting art and culture, continuing the family’s engagement with the arts. Her work includes organizing cultural events and exhibitions, often highlighting the artistic heritage of her father. Raisa’s efforts ensure that the cultural and artistic legacy of M.F. Husain remains vibrant and relevant.
How Did M.F. Husain’s Passion for Cars Contrast with His Artistic Image?
Husain’s creative genius extended beyond the canvas. He was a lover of fine engineering and luxury, which he expressed through his impressive collection of cars. While his bold, vibrant artworks and unique style captured global attention, another lesser-known aspect of his life was his deep passion for luxury cars. Throughout his illustrious career, Husain was not just an art connoisseur but also a collector of some of the world’s most coveted automobiles. Known for his eccentricity and often seen walking barefoot, Husain’s taste in automobiles was anything but modest. His collection was a reflection of his larger-than-life personality, filled with cars that symbolised speed, class, and exclusivity.
The Iconic Car Collection
Over the years, Husain accumulated some of the most luxurious and high-performance cars available. His collection included:
- Bentley – A symbol of British luxury, craftsmanship, and elegance.
- Two Jaguars – Known for their sleek design and powerful engines, Jaguars were a fitting match for Husain’s flamboyant style.
- Mercedes – Representing timeless elegance and engineering excellence.
- Ferrari – A brand synonymous with speed, power, and racing prowess, perfectly capturing Husain’s dynamic personality.
- Rolls Royce – The ultimate luxury car, exuding refinement and prestige, fitting for one of India’s most respected artists.
- Bugatti Veyron – Perhaps the crown jewel of his collection, the Bugatti Veyron, valued at Rs 7.6 crore, is one of the most powerful and expensive cars ever made.
Barefoot Maestro and His Cars
It was quite the contrast—a man who often chose to walk barefoot, connected to the earth, owned some of the fastest and most luxurious cars in the world. Husain’s simplicity in his personal life, reflected in his preference for being without shoes, stood in sharp contrast to the opulence of his car collection. This paradox only added to the mystique surrounding him.
Legacy of Art and Automobiles
M.F. Husain’s life was a blend of creativity, controversy, and an insatiable passion for beauty in all its forms—whether it was through his paintbrush or his collection of luxury cars. His unique blend of humility and extravagance made him one of the most enigmatic figures in the art world. Even today, his legacy lives on, not just in his artworks but in the stories of his love for cars that reflected his powerful and bold personality.
Image Courtesy – DAG
