M. F. Husain

M.F. Husain (1913-2011) was born in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, and arrived in Bombay in 1937 to pursue a creative life.

He painted cinema billboards and designed furniture before he was able to support a fulltime painting career. His style blends folk, tribal, mythological, and modernist influences, often simplifying forms through a Cubist lens, using bold and dynamic compositions. He also dabbled in making films, and won international awards for his work. He was awarded the
Padma Shri (1966), Padma Bhushan (1973), and Padma Vibhushan (1991), and served as a Member of the Rajya Sabha. An artist of remarkable popularity, he ran into trouble with the Hindu rightwing and spent his last years in a self-imposed exile. A founding member of the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG), Husain’s work continues to fetch high prices on the market, and his influence is undiminished over Indian art.