Qatar has unveiled a new museum dedicated entirely to the late Indian Modernist artist M.F. Husain, titled Lawh Wa Qalam: M.F. Husain Museum. Located in Doha's Education City, the museum houses over 150 artworks spanning from the 1950s to his death in 2011, including paintings, poetry, photography, tapestries, sculptures, and installations. The museum, opened on November 28 by the Qatar Foundation chaired by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, fulfills a long-held dream of the artist, who was granted Qatari citizenship in 2010 after self-imposed exile from India. The building was designed by architect Martand Khosla based on a sketch Husain himself created for his envisioned museum.
The opening comes at a time of surging market interest in Husain, whose auction record was shattered in March 2025 when his painting Untitled (Gram Yatra) sold for $13.8 million at Christie's New York. The museum not only cements Husain's legacy as a global modernist master—often called the "Picasso of India"—but also highlights Qatar's growing role as a cultural hub, hosting institutions like Mathaf and the Qatar National Library. The tribute is especially significant given Husain's controversial exile from India due to death threats from Hindu nationalists, making the Qatari museum a powerful symbol of cross-cultural recognition and artistic freedom.