Thursday, June 9, 2011

MF Husain dead in exile

Today, India has lost its Picasso, and not even on its own soil
Maqbool Fida Husain, 95, the renowned contemporary and progressive artist who put India on the world's art map, died today in London's Royal Brompton hospital, after a month of illness. Husain died of a heart attack at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London
Considered to be the pioneer of Indian avant garde, Husain has been both adulated and hated. A Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan
awardee, Husain first came into controversy when his first 'anti-Hindu' work, nude depictions of Indian goddesses, was published in 1996. Death threats by Hindu fanatics resulted, as did legal petitions by BJP and RSS and vandalism of Husain's art exhibitions. Husain finally had to leave the country in self-imposed exile after the controversial Bharatmata painting of 2006.
Qatar offered the maestro citizenship in January 2010, where he resided for the remainder of his days. While he continued working with Indian muses, the most recent of which was Mamata Bannerjee, his wish to return to the country remained unfulfilled. Though his paintings continued to top auctions at international locations and receive international acclaim, India seems to accept the legendary artist only after his death.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Husain's passing away as "national loss" while President Pratibha Patil in her statement said that the maestro's death has "left a void in the world of art". Congress tried to pass the buck and insisted that his exile was a result of hateful propaganda that organisations like the Shiv Sena publicized. Reacting on the great loss, she said, "The government at no point stopped Mr Husain in coming back...it's unfortunate that communal forces made his life so miserable that he felt insecure to come back to the country of his birth."
People from all walks of life and shocked by Husain's death. Mamata Banerjee called his death as a "great loss to the world of art" while renowned painter Jatin Das termed it as a "big loss to Indian Art"

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