What to watch out for if you are at Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum in Qatar

Yemen, 2008

Belonging to the Arab Civilisation series, here Husain returns to his ancestral roots, presenting a kalaidoscope of symbolic motifs and images in a scene that combining blues, ochres and earth tones.

Quit India Movement, 1985

Quit India Movement by Maqbool Fida Husain, 1985 (Photo: Qatar Foundation)

Part of a series of paintings commemorating defining moments in India’s fight against colonial rule, the work reflects on the Independence Movement and individual sacrifice.

The Artist and his Model, 1994

This piece highlights Husain’s enduring bond with his eternal muse, the horse through a woven tapestry.

Theorama series (Humanism), 2003

Embodying a humanist perspective, the canvas belongs to a 10-part series at the museum, where Husain devotes each to a different religion, philosophy or cultural tradition through symbolism. Grounded in the ancient Indian belief that all spiritual paths converge towards a single universal truth and shared human values, this was his way of painting peace through visual theology.

Elephant, 1992

Elephant, 1992 (Photo: Qatar Foundation)

Among the cutouts in wood showcased at the museum, the 1992 series is reminiscent of the time in the 1940s when Husain was still a struggling artist in Mumbai designing children’s toys at a furniture at a store.

Arab Astronomy, 2008

Arab Astronomy, 2008 (Photo: Qatar Foundation)

Inspired by Islamic Civilization and its legacy of scientific innovation, the work references Abu Ma‘shar, the renowned Persian astrologer and astronomer whose writings shaped Islamic and later European astrological thought.

Mother Teresa, 1998

First painting the Roman Catholic saint and missionary nun in 1980, after Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the Bharat Ratna, Husain went on to depict her several times thereafter. Always faceless, she remained instantly recognisable through her white sari with a blue border, embodying the feminine and the compassionate.