Spicezee Bureau
Controversial artist Maqbool Fida Husain was born on 17 September, 1915 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra (India).
He was titled the ‘Picasso of India’ by the Forbes Magazine. Husain rose to fame in the late 1940s. He joined Francis Newton Souza’s Progressive Artists` Group in 1947. His first exhibition was held at Zürich in 1952 and since then he gained popularity across Europe and the US. He was awarded the Padma Shree by the Government of India in 1955.
His first film `Through the Eyes of a Painter` made in 1967, was showcased at the Berlin Film Festival. He won a Golden Bear for the film. In 1971, Husain was invited at the Sao Paulo Piennial along with Pablo Picasso.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1991. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the year 1986.
Three paintings by M F Hussain topped a Bonham`s auction in London, going under the hammer for Rs 2.32 crore with an untitled oil work in which the legendary artist combined his iconic subject matters - horse and woman - fetching Rs 1.23 crore alone.
Husain made films life ‘Gaja Gamini’ and ‘Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities’.
Husain’s ‘Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12’, inspired from the Hindu epic, fetched USD 1.6 million, setting a world record at Christie`s South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale in 2008.
His name features in the list of 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World, issued by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan.
Controversies
Husain’s paintings had hurt religious sentiments of Hindus as he portrayed Hindu deities in nude in the 1990s.
The paintings in question, made in 1970, were not appreciated by public when they were published in `Vichar Mimansa`, a Hindi monthly magazine. The caption read- `MF Husain: A Painter or Butcher`.
Almost eight criminal complaints were lodged against him in response to his objectionable portrayal of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
However, in 2004, the Delhi High Court discharged these complaints of "promoting enmity between different groups ... by painting Hindu goddesses — Durga and Sarswati.”
His house was attacked in 1998 by Bajrang Dal and his paintings were damaged. The Shiv Sena too, endorsed attacks on the painter. Following protests by Hindu groups in the UK, his art exhibition had to untimely close-down in London.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.