MF Husain Birth Anniversary: Fame and controversy are two sides of the same coin. One comes free with the other – some less, some more. But, there are some personalities who were destined to have fame and controversy in equal measure. One of them was the famous painter Maqbool Fida Hussain or M.F. Hussain, who was also called the Picasso of India.
It is said about M.F. Husain that he started learning painting from the streets. However, there came a time when he had to leave the country due to his controversial paintings. Maqbool Fida Husain, born on 17 September 1915 in Solapur district of Maharashtra, was fond of art since childhood. Husain’s father, who belonged to a Muslim family, was against his art. When his mother died, the family moved to Indore where he learned the art of painting by roaming on the streets.
Later he went to Mumbai and took admission in JJ School of Arts. While staying there, he made cinema hoardings for very little money, but gradually his work started getting appreciation.
When did M.F. Husain get recognition for the first time?
M.F. Husain first gained national recognition in the 1940s. He joined an art group in 1947 and this is where his fortunes changed. In 1952, his paintings were also displayed in an exhibition held in Zurich. His paintings became famous in Europe and America. One of his paintings was sold for nearly 1.6 million US dollars at Christie’s auction. With this, he became the most expensive Indian painter of that time.
When M.F. Hussain gained fame, he was also linked to controversies. He made some paintings on Indian gods and goddesses, which some people from the Hindu community objected to. Protests were held against him across the country. He was accused of making objectionable paintings of Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Not only this, Hussain was also accused of making objectionable paintings of Bharat Mata. Many cases were registered against Hussain across the country and the situation reached such a point that a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.
left the country in 2006
This controversy did not leave Husain alone and in 2006 he left the country. He lived in London for a few years and in 2010 he got Qatari citizenship. Meanwhile, in 2008, Husain’s ‘Ganga aur Yamuna ki Ladai’ was sold at Christie’s for 1.6 million dollars.
M.F. Husain not only earned fame for his paintings, but his love for films was also not hidden from anyone. He made Gaja Gamini with Madhuri Dixit. He also made a film like Meenakshi with Tabu and Kunal Kapoor. According to media reports, Husain was crazy about Bollywood actress Madhur Dixit, because of whom he had watched “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun” more than 60 times.
He died in 2011
Honored with ‘Padma Shri’ (1966), ‘Padma Bhushan’ (1973) and ‘Padma Vibhushan’ (1991), MF Hussain said goodbye to the world on 9 June 2011.
