Lawh Wa Qalam: Inside Doha's Dazzling New MF Husain Museum - A Landmark of Art, Identity, and Legacy

A New Icon Rises on Doha's Horizon

On the edges of Doha, a striking grey-blue structure leans into the skyline as if straining to speak. Its shimmering tiles catch and scatter the sun, casting geometric shadows that shift through the day. This is Lawh Wa Qalam - the world's first museum dedicated entirely to MF Husain, one of India's most influential and complex modern artists.

More than a museum, it is a dialogue: between past and present, memory and imagination, India and the Arab world.

1. A Home for Husain - At Last

Spanning more than 3,000 sq m, the museum opened last week at Qatar Foundation's Education City.

It honours the artist who spent his final years in Qatar after being granted citizenship in 2010.

Over 150 works – paintings, sculptures, films, tapestries, personal objects – form a sweeping narrative of Husain's late life and artistic evolution.

Inquiry that emerges: What does it mean for a museum to feel like "home" to an artist who lived in perpetual motion?

Curator Noof Mohammed says Husain wanted visitors to experience his world intimately, imaginatively, and playfully – a home built through storytelling.

2. A Life Lived in Motion – Now Mapped in One Place

Few artists travelled as far – physically or creatively – as MF Husain.

• His mythical, muscular horses remain among the most recognisable works in contemporary art.
• His style blended Cubist modernism with Indian myth, history, and colour.
• His nomadic, bohemian persona led him across continents, canvases, and controversies.

He was called "the Picasso of India", made two Bollywood films, and ignited national debates with provocative depictions of Hindu goddesses.

Inquiry that emerges: How does one museum contain a career shaped by constant reinvention?

3. Exile, Renewal, and the Arab Chapter

• Deep contemplation
• Artistic rebirth
• A fascination with Arab civilisation and Islamic history

Artist Yousef Ahmad recalls Husain's profound engagement with the Gulf: "He was charmed and inspired by Arab culture. People often forget his most ambitious late works were conceived here."

Among them: Seeroo fi al ardh (Walk in the Land) - a vast multimedia experience combining mechanical choreography, sound, movement, and story. It now forms one of the museum's central attractions.

4. Architecture Born From a Sketch – Literally

The museum's architecture tells a story of its own.

Its design is based on a single 2008 sketch by Husain: two sculptural masses connected by a cylindrical tower.

Indian architect Martand Khosla had to translate this sketch - an artistic intent, not a blueprint - into a functional museum.

"It was like developing a new architectural language. What should remain literal and what becomes metaphor?" Martand Khosla

The result: A labyrinth of corridors and galleries encouraging visitors to wander as if tracing Husain's own brushstrokes. This approach to architectural storytelling echoes principles found in visual communication strategies for luxury experiences.

Inquiry that emerges: Can a building become a continuation of an artist's imagination?

5. Inside the Museum: Stepping Into Husain's Mind

Each gallery opens with a Husain quote. Interactive spaces invite visitors into his process. Paintings sit alongside:

• Everyday objects
• Old photographs
• His Indian passport
• Anecdotes collected through oral histories

This humanises an artist often mythologised as eccentric or controversial.

Horses gallop across walls. Vast canvases explore Arab civilisation. Sculptures and tapestries reveal lesser-known facets of his practice. For art enthusiasts, this immersive experience parallels the impact of scintillating sculptures that redefine artistic expression.

6. The Gulf's Influence: A Hidden Chapter Now Illuminated

For decades, Husain's work in Qatar remained overshadowed by his Indian identity. Lawh Wa Qalam brings this chapter to light:

• His 2008 commission from Sheikha Moza bint Nasser
• His series on Islamic civilisation
• His fascination with philosophers, astronomers, wanderers, and spiritual narratives

He completed 35 of the planned 99 paintings, now part of the museum's rotating collection.

Among the highlights: The Battle of Badr – a sweeping historical narrative rendered in kinetic strokes and deep ochres that echo the Gulf's desert palette.

Inquiry that emerges: Was Husain's late-life work not just an artistic evolution, but a cultural homecoming?

7. A Museum That Refuses Simplicity

The museum embraces this multiplicity.

Husain had multiple identities simultaneously. That layering is what makes this project incredibly rich.

This philosophy of embracing complexity resonates with how modern luxury is defined through authenticity and depth rather than singular narratives.

Conclusion: A Legacy Reframed

Lawh Wa Qalam is not a memorial. It is a conversation – with Husain, with history, with identity.

By bringing together the Indian, Arab, and global facets of his life, Doha has created a space that reframes him not just as a modern Indian master, but as a cultural bridge between continents.

In the shimmering blue-grey museum that leans toward the sun, Husain's voice feels alive again – inviting visitors to wander, wonder, and see the world as he did: With curiosity, colour, contradiction, and endless movement. For those interested in record-breaking art acquisitions that honor cultural legacy, explore impressive contemporary art sales that celebrate artistic vision.