qatar foundation to open m. f. husain museum in doha

Qatar Unveils Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum

Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, located in Education City, Doha, has opened its doors to the public. This landmark institution is the first and largest museum in the world devoted to the life and legacy of M. F. Husain, one of the 20th century’s most influential modernist artists. Architect Martand Khosla designed the building, drawing inspiration from Husain’s own 2008 sketch, transforming the artist’s symbolic vision into a contemporary space that reflects his lifelong exploration across different artistic media.

The museum covers more than 3,000 square meters and houses a collection that spans six decades of Husain’s creative output, including painting, film, tapestry, photography, poetry, and installation art.

all images courtesy of Qatar Foundation

A Retrospective of 60 Years of Artistic Innovation

The museum brings together a permanent collection and immersive exhibitions featuring over 150 works and objects that chronicle Husain’s journey from the 1950s until his passing in 2011. Among the highlights is a series of paintings commissioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, inspired by Arab civilization and completed during Husain’s final years in Qatar. The museum also features Seeroo fi al Ardh (2009), the artist’s last major project—a multimedia installation capturing humanity’s cultural and technological evolution.

Born in India in 1913, Husain was a founding member of the Progressive Artists Group in 1947, which sought to depart from academic conventions and forge a modern Indian artistic identity. His versatile practice spanned oil painting, serigraphy, sculpture, and filmmaking, exploring themes from mythological epics and rural life to postcolonial challenges and religious plurality. Internationally acclaimed, Husain’s exhibitions ranged from the Venice Biennale (1952) to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (2014). Calling himself a ‘global nomad,’ he cultivated deep connections with Europe, the United States, and the Arab world, especially Qatar, where he spent his later years as a citizen.

Located in Education City—a hub for public art, research, and academia—the new museum situates Husain’s oeuvre in a broader context of creativity and cross-cultural dialogue. According to Kholoud M. Al-Ali, executive director of community engagement and programming at Qatar Foundation, the space is intended to foster exploration and critical thought, inviting visitors to engage with Husain’s body of work as an enduring, dynamic legacy.

a contemporary structure mirrors the artist’s lifelong experimentation

Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum will open on November 28th, 2025, in Education City, Doha

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