Qatar is preparing to open the world’s first and largest museum dedicated to the life and monumental work of Indian modernist master Maqbool Fida Husain. The institution, named Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, is scheduled to open its doors on November 28, 2025, at Qatar Foundation’s Education City in Doha.
The 3,000-square-meter museum is a significant cultural landmark, celebrating the legacy of the influential painter, filmmaker, and poet often referred to as “India’s Picasso.”
The striking design of the new museum directly translates a sketch Husain himself drew in 2008, which he titled ‘M.F. Husain Art and Cinema Museum.’ The deep-blue structure, featuring abstract geometric forms and a tall, white, minaret-like cylindrical tower, was conceived by the artist to be an artwork in its own right. New Delhi-based architect Martand Khosla brought this final vision of Husain’s to life.
The project is spearheaded by Qatar Foundation and honors Husain’s deep connection to the nation, where he spent his final years in self-imposed exile and accepted Qatari citizenship in 2010.
The permanent collection will trace Husain’s six-decade-long artistic journey, from the 1950s until his death in 2011, spanning a wide range of media beyond his famous canvases:
- Multidisciplinary Works: The exhibition will showcase paintings, films, photography, tapestries, and poetry, using multimedia storytelling to immerse visitors in the artist’s creative universe.
- The Arab Civilization Series: A major highlight will be a series of over 35 paintings inspired by Arab civilization, which were commissioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, during Husain’s later years.
- Seeroo fi al ardh (Travel Through the Earth): Husain’s final major masterpiece, a large-scale installation conceived in 2009 that celebrates the progress of humanity, will be displayed in a dedicated immersive gallery.
Kholoud M. Al-Ali, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Programming at Qatar Foundation, emphasized the museum’s role, stating, “It is an honor to present his work within a dedicated museum of this scale—a space where audiences can engage deeply with his life, his art, and his enduring global legacy… This museum will illustrate the power of creativity to inspire, educate, and foster the cross-cultural understanding that connects communities and worlds.”
The opening of the Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum further solidifies Doha’s status as a burgeoning global hub for arts and culture, cementing the legacy of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated modernists.
