M. F. Husain Biography 
M. F. Husain was an Indian painter who obtained the citizenship of Qatar later on. He is considered to be the Picasso of India. He was famous for his modern art inspired many artists through his cubist style. He was a car enthusiast and had a collection of sports cars. He was popular all over the world and was also a skilled photographer and filmmaker.
He was born on 17th September 1915 in Pandharpur in Maharashtra. He led a poor life and had to earn for his living by painting the cinema hoardings. He traveled to many places to paint the landscapes. As he could not earn much through this job he tried various other jobs and worked in a toy factory for sometimes.
He came to limelight after the independence of India. He became a member of the Progressive Artists Group in 1947. He showcased his first solo exhibition in 1952 at Zurich. His works were welcomed very much in Europe and US in 1950s.
His first film Through the Eyes of a Painter was made in 1967. This film won the Golden Bear award for short film at the Berlin Film Festival. His career in film industry started with this. Then he produced many films that include Gaja Gamini. He also acted in the film Mohabbat. He was a great fan of Madhuri Dixit.
His life history was filmed as The Making of the Painter. He has to face controversies as he portrayed the Hindu deities as nude figures. He had to face the opposition of the Hindu nationalist groups. The article with the headline M. F. Hussain: A Painter or Butcher made eight criminal cases to be filed against him.
He earned the hatred of Hindu Jagruti Samiti and Vishva Hindu Parishad as he portrayed Mother India as a nude woman. Later this painting was sold for Rs 80 lakhs. The Qawwali song in his film Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities faced opposition from the Muslim community as it was blasphemous.
As he had to face number of cases and death threats, he left India and lived abroad from 2006. He obtained the Qatari nationality and lived in Doha and London. He has received three prestigious awards from the Government of India, Padma Shri award, Padma Bhushan award and Padma Vibhushan award. He also received Raja Ravi Varma award from the Government of Kerala. He died on 9th June 2011 at his age of 95 in London.
Published: N/A
Updated: April 23, 2012
