Maqbool Fida Husain
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Maqbool Fida Husain was born in 1913 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra. A self-taught artist, he came to Mumbai in 1937, determined to become a painter. In 1948, he was invited by F N Souza to join the Progressive Artists' Group.
M. F. Husain started his painting career as a painter of cinema hoardings. By the early 1930s, Hindi cinema was flourishing with as many as 200 films per year and the advertising market was badly in need of high quality painters. Husain used this opportunity to take care of his daily needs.
Maqbool Fida Husain was one of the most famous artists of India, known all over the world for his amazing paintings that he created during his lifetime. So huge is the popularity of his paintings that M. F. Husain was called the 'Picasso of India' by the Forbes magazine. His rise as a public figure had as much to do with his style and presentation, as it did with his themes. He depicted the icons of Indian culture, through the ages, seeking to capture the quintessence of his subjects, like Mother Teresa and the characters of epics like the Mahabharata.
Husain first exhibited his art works in Zurich in the year 1952 and then went on to display his works in the US for the first time in 1964. Though Husain enjoyed fame and respect during the initial phase of his career, a large portion of his painting career was mired in controversies.
In a career that spanned seven decades, Husain also made feature films, such as Through the Eyes of a Painter, in 1967, which was a Golden Bear Award winner at the Berlin Film Festival, and Gajagamini in 2000. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan awards, both prestigious civilian awards. Husain passed away in London in 2011.
