Spicezee Bureau
London: The funeral of Indian painter MF Husain will be held in London on Friday. Husain died from complications caused by lung congestion yesterday. He was 95.
According to sources, the Indian government had offered help to his family if they want to bury him in India.
The legendary artist, who started his career by painting cinema billboards, was on a self imposed exile since 2006. The artist used to live in Dubai and London. In January 2010, he had been offered the citizenship of Qatar which he had accepted.
Fondly known as India’s ‘Picasso’, Husain breathed his last London`s Royal Brompton Hospital where he was admitted after being in "indifferent health" for the last one-and-a-half month.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Husain`s death is "a national loss." President Pratibha Patil said his death "left a void in the world of art."
Faced with criticism from Hindu groups for his depiction of Hindu deities, Husain had opted to live outside India. But his heart yearned to come back to the country.
Artists and activists have severely criticized the Indian government and its inability to get Husain back to India.
Condoling his death, Bhartiya Janta Party said he may have been controversial, but Husain was an Indian; his last rites should be performed in India.
With Agency Inputs
First Published: Friday, June 10, 2011, 12:24
