New Doha museum Lawh Wa Qalam celebrates Indian artwork legend

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/78dd/live/4ac148b0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Qatar Foundation The building of the Lawh Wa Qalam museum rises against the skyline of Doha" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis A brand new museum in Doha is spotlighting the Indian artist's legacy in an imaginative manner

On the fringe of Doha, a brand new grey-blue constructing rises like a drawing on its skyline, its shimmering tiles shifting with the solar and casting geometric shadows.

The constructing appears to be leaning ahead, as if keen to inform a narrative.

In a video clip of Lawh Wa Qalam, the world's first museum devoted to MF Husain, we see glimpses of the extraordinary work of the late legendary Indian artist, whose prolific work and turbulent private historical past have fascinated the world.

The museum honours the legacy of the artist who spent his final years in Qatar and was granted citizenship in 2010.

Spanning over some 3,000 sq m, it opened to guests final week and is a part of the expansive campus of Qatar Basis's Training Metropolis, an academic and analysis hub.

Inside, greater than 150 works and objects - together with work, sculptures, movies, tapestries and pictures - map the astonishing breadth of Husain's profession, providing guests a uncommon window into the artist's late-life reflections and inspirations.

Husain all the time wished his museum to really feel like house, says Noof Mohammed, the curator. "We wish guests to expertise the world as he did, in an intimate, playful and reflective method."

Few artists have travelled as broadly, or imaginatively, as Husain. His horses - muscular and dynamic - stay a few of the most prized and immediately recognisable work in modern artwork, bought for hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.

An artist who was usually described to have a nomadic and bohemian disposition, he dabbled seamlessly with Cubist-inspired modernism and conventional Indian themes, creating daring and vibrant canvases with scenes from historical past and mythology.

His signature fashion earned him the moniker of "the Picasso of India". He additionally made two Bollywood movies, which failed on the field workplace.

Husain was additionally by no means with out controversy. His work of nude Hindu goddesses angered hardline Hindus who accused him of obscenity, forcing him right into a self-imposed exile.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/376d/live/d2db53a0-d022-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP via Getty Images Husain poses in front of one of his paintings in Raan bar at the O2 Arena on July 3, 2007 in London, England." class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> AFP by way of Getty Photos MF Husain is arguably one of the crucial well-known Indian modernists

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/7eb5/live/17ec2180-d01f-11f0-8c06-f5d460985095.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation Ina fa Nata by MF Husain" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis He was particularly identified for portray dynamic horses with energetic brushstrokes and vivid colors

After a tumultous few years, it was in Qatar, away from the cultural battles at house, that he entered a interval of deep contemplation and creative renewal.

"He was deeply engaged right here, charmed and impressed by the Arab civilisation and tradition," Yousef Ahmad, a Qatar-based artist who knew Husain throughout his closing years, advised the BBC.

"Individuals usually overlook that a few of his most formidable works in later life have been conceived in Qatar."

It's becoming then that the Lawh Wa Qalam museum refuses to be a traditional tribute to the artist.

One of many museum's predominant points of interest is Seeroo fi al ardh (Stroll In The Land), the formidable multimedia venture that occupied Husain's closing years, which he envisaged as a story of civilisation advised by motion, sound and mechanical choreography.

In truth, the museum constructing itself is impressed by a 2008 sketch Husain made, exhibiting two sculptural plenty - the vivid blue-grey home related by a cylindirical tower.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/596b/live/42a7a080-d023-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation The white cylyndrical tower and blue-grey building of the Lawh Wa Qalam is seen at a distance " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis Lawh Wa Qalam's design is impressed by a sketch Husain made in 2008

Indian architect Martand Khosla, who designed the construction with the Qatar Basis, recollects the problem of working from a single drawing, imagining numerous conversations with the artist.

"A sketch doesn't have scale. It's an intent. And changing that intent into an precise practical museum was a distinct ballgame," he tells the BBC.

Reasonably than treating Husain's sketch as a blueprint, Mr Khosla used it as a philosophical place to begin: "What ought to stay literal and what's metaphorical?"

"It was like growing a brand new architectural language," he says.

The result's a labyrinthine format that invitations guests to wander, exploring each line, shade, and shadow as if following Husain's personal brushstrokes.

"We hope the museum sparks discovery the identical manner Husain's murals do - every go to can reveal a totally totally different expertise or discovery " Mr Khosla says.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/86f5/live/ab82a750-d021-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation Light reflects off the blue tiles of the Lawh Wa Qalam museum and falls on a staircase" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis The museum has interactive galleries that search to put guests straight inside Husain's world

Every gallery opens with a Husain quote, inviting guests into his ideas. Lengthy corridors result in immersive shows of work, sculptures, and on a regular basis objects - together with his outdated Indian passport - inform the story of an artist, filmmaker, and thinker who traveled the world but by no means stopped craving for India.

Not surprisingly, Husain's beloved horses take centre stage within the museum.

"We now have tried to collect oral histories by speaking to individuals who knew Husain, corresponding to his driver, collaborators and associates, to provide a private sense of who he was," Ms Mohammed explains.

Mr Ahmad, the artist, says the museum's interactive format provides an opportunity to know the artist past the general public controversies and lore that outlined his life.

Many recall Husain because the barefoot, eccentric artist with flowing white hair and a penchant for controversies.

"However at his core, he was a genius who was endlessly fascinated by storytelling, whether or not it was by mythology, modernity or reminiscence," Mr Ahmad provides.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/afc4/live/cc29b930-d021-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation A gallery with a red panel on the left is seen dotted with paintings made by MF Husain at the Lawh Wa Qalam museum" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis The gathering additionally consists of Husain's sculptures, lesser identified work and private objects

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/1b0d/live/f149fe80-d01e-11f0-a892-01d657345866.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation Battle of Badr, a painting by MF Husain " class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis One of many predominant points of interest is Battle of Badr, a portray Husain made in Qatar

A lesser-known chapter of Husain's journey unfolded within the Gulf, which the museum highlights. In his later years, he developed a deep curiosity in Islamic texts and Arab historical past.

In 2008, Husain accepted a significant fee from Qatar's Sheikh Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Basis. From a studio in Doha, he created an unlimited sequence celebrating Arab civilisation, exploring Islamic historical past, religion, and human motion.

Utilizing a wealthy, daring palette, he depicted Islamic astronomers, philosophers, and desert wanderers with the identical kinetic traces that outlined his Indian artwork, however in hotter, earthen ochres reflecting the Gulf's panorama.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f65f/live/387942c0-d01f-11f0-9fb5-5f3a3703a365.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar Foundation Call of Desert by MF Husain" class="sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA"/> Qatar Basis Husain was deeply impressed by Islamic tradition and historical past and made a number of work round it

"Considered one of these work, The Battle of Badr, a pivotal second in Islamic historical past, demonstrates his mastery of each motion and color as he continued to merge historic and religious narratives in his signature fashion," Ms Mohammed says.