Maqbool Fida Husain (born September 17, 1915, Pandharpur, Maharashtra) is one of India's best known artists.
Husain comes from a Muslim Indian family. In 1935, he moved to Bombay and was admitted to the Sir J. J. School of Art. He started off by painting cinema hoardings.
Husain first became well-known as an artist in the late 1940s. In 1947, he joined the Progressive Artists' Group, founded by Francis Newton Souza. This was a clique of young artists who wished to break with the nationalist traditions established by the Bengal school of art and to encourage an Indian avant-garde, engaged at an international level. In 1952, his first solo exhibition was held at Zürich and over the next few years, his work was widely seen in Europe and U.S.. In 1955, he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree prize by the Government of India.
His first film, Through the Eyes of a Painter (1967) was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear.
M. F. Husain has been awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1989 in addition he has also received the prestigious Raja Ravi Varma award.
Husain went on to become one of the the highest paid painter in India. His single canvases have fetched up to $2 million at a recent Christie's auction.
Controversies relating to his painting hindu goddesses and deities in the nude:
In February 6, 2006 issue, India Today, a national English weekly published an advertisement titled "Art For Mission Kashmir". This advertisement contains a painting of Bharatmata (Mother India) as a nude woman posed across a map of India with the names of Indian States on various parts of her body. The exhibition was organised by Nafisa Ali of Action India (NGO) and Apparao Art Gallery. In addition some of husain’s works have shown hindu goddesses and deities nude.
The artistic community has been supportive as well as critical. Krishan Khanna, one of Husain's contemporaries, stated that "It's not just Husain's but the entire artist community's lives which are at stake. Anybody and everybody can file a case against us now. Anyone can infringe upon our lives". Others who have expressed anger at the "vicious campaigns" against Husain, include filmmaker Syed Mirza, social activist Nafisa Ali, theatre personality M. K. Raina and a host of other artistes, art critics and art gallery owners.
It is hypocritical to place curbs on Husain's artistic freedom. What's more shameful is that a government that claims to be the secular alternative to Hindu nationalists is threatening to prosecute Husain. This does not do India proud; it adds to India's disgrace.
Other artists have expressed criticism. Fellow artist Satish Gujral has gone on record to ask him whether he will be bold enough to treat icons of Islam in the same manner. According to a senior artist and former President, Bombay Art Society, Gopal Adivrekar says: “Nothing is bad in being creative but the artists should not go for such artwork, which may hurt the sentiments of a segment of the society."
