The art world has witnessed a starkly divided response this year to the legacy of Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India's most influential 20th-century artists. In March, one of his paintings shattered auction records, selling for $13.75 million. Just three months later, another sale of his work in Mumbai required police protection due to threats from a Hindu nationalist group.
These contrasting events highlight the deep divisions surrounding Husain, celebrated internationally as a pioneer of Indian modernism but condemned by some in his home country for his depictions of Hindu deities. Even more than a decade after his death in self-imposed exile, Husain's work continues to ignite both record-breaking sales and fierce controversy.
Key Takeaways
- M.F. Husain's painting "Untitled (Gram Yatra)" sold for a record $13.75 million, making it the most expensive modern Indian artwork ever auctioned.
- A separate auction of 25 rediscovered Husain paintings in Mumbai faced threats of protest, requiring police barricades for security.
- The controversy stems from Husain's paintings of nude Hindu deities, which critics call obscene and offensive to religious sentiments.
- Despite being cleared of obscenity charges by India's Supreme Court, Husain lived his final years in exile and died in London in 2011.
- The Qatar Foundation has announced plans for a museum dedicated to his work, underscoring his international acclaim.
A Tale of Two Auctions
The year 2024 has perfectly encapsulated the paradox of M.F. Husain's legacy. At a Christie's auction in New York, the sale of his monumental 14-foot-long painting, "Untitled (Gram Yatra)," was met with spontaneous applause as the hammer fell at $13.75 million. The price nearly doubled the previous record for a modern Indian artwork, cementing his status as a giant in the global art market.
However, the atmosphere was entirely different in Mumbai just a few months later. An auction of 25 long-lost Husain paintings prompted a right-wing Hindu nationalist group, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, to warn of "strong public agitation." The group demanded the sale's cancellation, citing what they described as Husain's "vulgar and obscene" portrayals of sacred figures. The auction house proceeded with the sale under the watch of police patrols and behind security barricades.
Who Was M.F. Husain?
Often called "India's Picasso," M.F. Husain (1915-2011) was a founding member of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group. He was known for his bold, Cubist-inspired style that explored themes of Indian culture, from rural life and Bollywood to mythology and historical figures. His prolific career produced an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 artworks.
These events underscore a conflict that has followed Husain for decades. While the international art community celebrates his genius, a segment of his home country continues to view his work through a lens of religious offense. This divide was further highlighted when a Delhi court recently ordered the seizure of two of his paintings deemed "offensive."
Forging a New Indian Art
Born in a Hindu pilgrimage town to a Muslim family, Husain's early life exposed him to a blend of cultural influences. He studied Islamic calligraphy but was also immersed in folk traditions like performances of the Hindu epic "Ramayana." His artistic journey began in Mumbai, where he painted billboards for the burgeoning film industry, an experience that shaped his vibrant color palette and fascination with popular icons.
A pivotal moment came in 1947 with India's independence and partition. In response to the era's social and religious turmoil, Husain co-founded the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group (PAG). The collective sought to create a new, modern visual language for the young nation, one that was distinctly Indian yet engaged with global art movements.
"It was about creating something new, breaking with the past," said Dr. Diva Gujral, an art history fellow at the University of Oxford. She noted that the group did more than "simply take" from Western art, instead reinvigorating a visual language to make it their own.
Husain's style fused the principles of European modernists like Pablo Picasso with subjects rooted firmly in the Indian experience. The record-breaking "Untitled (Gram Yatra)" from 1954 exemplifies this approach, depicting scenes of rural life with a Cubist-inspired abstraction. According to Nishad Avari, head of South Asian art at Christie's, Husain was a "linchpin figure in defining what it is to be an Indian artist in the new country of India."
The Heart of the Controversy
The conflict surrounding Husain's work centers on his depictions of Hindu goddesses, such as Durga and Lakshmi, often portrayed nude. These works, many created in the 1970s, did not face significant backlash until the 1990s, a period marked by a rise in Hindu nationalism in India.
In 1996, a Hindu magazine published an article titled "M.F. Husain: A Painter or Butcher" alongside one of his nude depictions of the goddess Saraswati. This publication triggered multiple criminal complaints and marked the beginning of years of legal battles, protests, and threats against the artist.
Timeline of Escalation
- 1996: A magazine article sparks the first major controversy, leading to criminal complaints.
- 1998: Hindu fundamentalists attack Husain's home in Mumbai and vandalize galleries showing his work.
- 2006: A hardline group offers a cash reward for his murder. An arrest warrant is issued over a painting that depicted the map of India as a nude woman. Husain leaves India.
- 2008: India’s Supreme Court dismisses obscenity charges against him, criticizing a "new puritanism."
- 2010: Husain accepts Qatari citizenship after surrendering his Indian passport.
- 2011: He dies in London at the age of 95, never having returned to India.
Husain always maintained that his intent was not to degrade the deities. He argued that he was engaging with their iconography as seen in centuries-old Indian temple art and sculptures, where nudity is common. His supporters believe the outrage was amplified by his Muslim identity. "In Hindu nationalist politics, the bogeyman is the Muslim invader who outrages the modesty of the Hindu woman," explained Dr. Gujral. For some viewers, Husain became a symbol of this narrative.
An Unshakeable Legacy
Despite the turmoil of his later years, Husain's artistic output remained immense. He was a renowned showman, known for painting during live performances and walking barefoot, carrying a long paintbrush like a cane. His larger-than-life personality made him an icon in his own right.
Abhishek Poddar, a prominent collector and a friend of the artist, described Husain as a man who "needed to paint all the time." Poddar also rejected the notion that Husain held any anti-Hindu sentiment, noting that the artist also faced criticism from Islamic groups for using Quranic verses in the lyrics of a song in one of his films.
Husain spent his final years in Dubai, Doha, and London. Upon taking Qatari citizenship, he reportedly said, "India is my motherland, and I simply cannot leave that country. What I have surrendered is just a piece of paper." Friends said he always longed to return home.
Today, his legacy is being shaped by these powerful, opposing forces. On one hand, the global art market continues to validate his genius with staggering prices. On the other, the controversies that defined the last chapter of his life remain a potent force in India's cultural landscape, ensuring that the debate over his work is far from over.