Written by Neha Kirpal
DAG’s Return to MF Husain
Following the prelude Master Maqbool in Mumbai in 2022, DAG returns with Husain: The Timeless Modernist, an exhibition that celebrates the legacy of India’s foremost modernist, Maqbool Fida Husain. Encapsulating the breadth and depth of Husain’s illustrious career, the comprehensive exhibition spans almost six decades of his practice across key themes that dominated his work.
What To See at The Exhibition?
The collection translates every phase of MF Husain’s artistic journey from the 1950s to the 2000s, reflecting on his everlasting impact on the world of art. The 116 works include among other things depictions of women as mythological, historical and everyday beings; his fascination with horses; drawings and paintings that explore the idea of nationhood; as well as portraits and self-portraits. The works range from toys to sculptures, acrylic sheets used as props for his film sets, a rare edition of photographs taken in Madras called “Culture of the Streets” and other distinctive paintings from different periods of his practice. Further, archival material in the exhibition includes his Poetry Manuscripts from the late 1950s as well as exhibition invitations, photographs and preparatory drawings.
Ashish Anand on MF Husain
“Husain’s larger-than-life persona was matched by the deep relationships he formed throughout his career. His approachability and accessibility made him a much-loved figure, not just among art connoisseurs but also the common man—all of whom shared an interest in his life as much as in his art. His eccentricities—such as walking barefoot, live painting performances at classical concerts, his practice of painting in homes he visited, hotels he stayed at, restaurants he ate in—added to his unique and charismatic personality,” says Ashish Anand, CEO & MD of DAG.
6 Sections at MF Husain’s Exhibition
The exhibition has been divided into six sections. Idea of a Nation is a love letter to the nation, with his paintings on Indian history and culture, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, Ramlila and Muharram processions. Deciphering Desire looks at women from all walks of life who took on the role of MF Husain’s muse, whether it was his late mother draped in a Maharashtrian saree, figures from mythology, those drawn from his interest in Gupta and Khajuraho sculptures, public figures like Mother Teresa or movie stars like Madhuri Dixit. Freedom of Form has his poetry manuscripts and line drawings—written in the 1950s in Bombay and London.
Equine Elegance shows how horses captured Husain’s imagination from a young age. In Conversations and Connections, Husain explores portraits, such as well-recognised national icons as well as self-portraits. Monochrome Musings looks at Husain’s line drawings and monochromatic sketches. MF Husain was known for creating quick sketches on any available surface that was at hand, from restaurant table tops, and napkins to margins of newspapers.
Accompanying Publication
The publication accompanying the exhibition brings nuanced perspectives on the artist through essays by scholars and historians. Dr Rakhee Balaram provides an overview of MF Husain’s work, exploring the influence of geometry on his dynamic creations, particularly in his depictions of women, gods and goddesses, life in a village or a city, and his iconic horses. “His painting of cinema hoardings when he first moved to Bombay in the late 1930s, a decade before he had co-founded the avant-garde Progressive Artists’ Group, was one method of engaging with popular art in the public square, as he worked in a rectangle format (billboards) to present star power to the public,” writes Balaram.
MF Husain’s Works on Mahatma Gandhi
Dr Sumathi Ramaswamy focuses on MF Husain’s works on Mahatma Gandhi, unpacking the artist’s vision of the nation-state as well as his reverence for the Mahatma and his non-violent quest for India’s freedom. “Born and raised in colonial India, Maqbool came of age as an artist at precisely the moment when the nation became free and sovereign,” writes Dr. Ramaswamy. Ina Puri, who met Husain for the first time in Mumbai in 1991, shares about her relationship with the artist and his connection to her home city, Kolkata. “Husain’s art celebrated the rural hinterlands as much as urban histories from the past and present moment, making him the modernist painter he was,” writes Puri.
Despite Husain’s profound contributions to Indian art and culture, he faced significant adversity towards the end of his life. “Persistent threats from political entities forced him into self-exile, and he yearned to return to his homeland,” concludes Anand.
The exhibition will run at DAG, New Delhi, from 26th October to 7th December.
Image – MF Husain’s ‘That Obscure Object of Desire Nine‘; Courtesy – DAG
