Art Attack: DAG celebrates the legacy of India’s foremost modernist, encapsulating the breadth and depth of M F Husain’s illustrious career

Opening on 26 October 2024 at DAG, New Delhi, it brings together 116 works including depictions of girls as mythological, historical and day to day beings

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Following the prelude Master Maqbool in Mumbai in 2022, DAG is pleased to announce the hole of Husain: The Timeless Modernist, an exhibition that celebrates the legacy of India’s foremost modernist, Maqbool Fida Husain. Spanning almost six decades of his practice across the most important topics that dominated his work, Husain: The Timeless Modernist features a bunch that translates every phase of Husain’s artistic journey from the Fifties to the 2000s and reflects on his everlasting impact on the arena of art.

Opening on 26 October 2024 at DAG, New Delhi, it brings together 116 works including depictions of girls as mythological, historical and day to day beings; his fascination with horses—rooted in childhood experiences and observations of India’s culturally diverse practices; drawings and paintings that explore the premise of nationhood; and portraits and self-portraits that reflect his larger-than-life social persona. To be able to decode as well to pay tribute to the master, Husain: The Timeless Modernist highlights Husain’s dynamism and suppleness as an artist who embraced all styles of art, including cinema.

It features works ranging from toys and sculptures to acrylic sheets used as props for his film sets, a rare edition of photographs taken in Madras titled “Culture of the Streets”, and, of course, his distinctive paintings from different periods of his practice. Archival subject material inside of the exhibition consist of his poetry manuscripts from the late Fifties, which attest to his engagement with language and poetry, as well to exhibition invitations, photographs, and preparatory drawings.

Speaking on the exhibition, Ashish Anand, CEO of DAG, notes, “There's now no longer an awful lot I'm able to claim about M. F. Husain that hasn’t already been said. A real and everlasting icon, he needs no as well laudatory words. Husain’s larger-than-life persona was matched by the deep relationships he formed at some stage in his career. His approachability and accessibility made him a an awful lot-loved figure, now no longer just among art connoisseurs but additionally the common man—all of whom shared an interest in his life as an awful lot as in his art. His eccentricities—corresponding to walking barefoot, live painting performances at classical concerts, his practice of painting in homes he visited, hotels he stayed at, restaurants he ate in—added to his unique and charismatic personality. This persona, perchance a conscious construct, complemented his iconic art. Alternatively, in spite of his profound contributions to Indian art and culture, he faced significant adversity towards the tip of his life. Persistent threats from political entities forced him into self-exile, and he yearned to come again to his fatherland. DAG has been waiting a chronic time to dedicate a comprehensive exhibition to the legendary Husain and with this we've honoured our pledge. ”

The accompanying publication brings nuanced perspectives on the artist through essays by scholars and historians. Dr. Rakhee Balaram provides an summary of Husain’s work, exploring the influence of geometry on his dynamic creations, be they his depictions of girls, gods and goddesses, life in a village or a city, and his iconic horses. Balaram shows how his oeuvre was shaped by his upbringing, the cultural syncretism he observed around him, his constant experimentation with subject material choices. Dr. Sumathi Ramaswamy focusses on Husain’s works on Mahatma Gandhi, unpacking the artist’s vision of the nation-state, and his reverence for the Mahatma and his nonviolent quest for India’s freedom.

She explores Husain’s secular solution to spirituality, reflecting the philosophies and teachings of a large range of of spiritual traditions of India. Ina Puri adds a personalised touch, sharing her relationship with Husain and his connection to her home city, Kolkata. The exhibition has been divided into six sections to better take into account Husain, the painter and artist. Idea of a Nation may possibly be seen as Husain’s love letter to the nation, along with his paintings serving as a visual translation of Indian history and culture, delving deep into its many layers. Husain captured the nation’s colours, myths, symbols, rhymes and rhythms in expressive lines and cubist forms.

Influenced since his childhood by India’s cultural heritage and spiritual traditions, corresponding to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Ramlila and Muharram processions, as a part of his Indian identity. Deciphering Desire looks at females from all walks of life who took on the role of Husain’s muse. Whether it was his late mother draped in a Maharashtrian saree, figures from mythology, those drawn from his interest in Gupta and Khajuraho sculptures, public figures like Mother Teresa, or movie stars like Madhuri Dixit—he saw all of them converging into a symphony of artistic inspiration and awe.

In Freedom of Form, his Poetry Manuscripts, which also consist of his line drawings—written inside of the Fifties in Bombay and London—are a testament to the flexibility of his words and contours. Cinema, too, was a significant a part of Husain’s life. From starting his artistic journey painting Bollywood billboards in Bombay to creating award-winning documentaries and renowned feature films, Husain’s art was steeped inside of the language of cinema. Equine Elegance shows how horses captured Husain’s imagination from a young age—whether the farrier whose workshop he frequented, the papier- mache Duldul of Muharram processions he witnessed as a baby, the paintings of Chinese masters Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong, his lifelong fascination was an ode to their grace and power in paintings depicting their boundless energy and fluid movements. In Conversations and Connections, Husain’s exploration of portraiture is a testimonial to his ability to capture the essence of his subjects, whether well-recognised national icons or inside of the shape of the non-public connections he developed along with his patrons.

Alongside, his self-portraits mirrored his complex identity as an artist—deeply rooted in Indian tradition yet constantly exploring new styles of expression—and served as a visual diary, documenting most of the emotional and creative phases of his life. Monochrome Musings looks at Husain’s line drawings and monochromatic sketches, reflecting his spontaneity and suppleness as an artist. He was known for creating quick sketches on any on hand surface that was at hand, from restaurant tabletops, napkins, to margins of newspapers, capturing moments, people and places with immediacy and fluidity.