Qatar Museums (QM), in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi, will present “The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain,” a landmark immersive exhibition celebrating one of India’s most celebrated artists.
Exhibition Concept
The exhibition’s title captures the dual essence of Maqbool Fida Husain’s (1913–2011) life—his deep connection to India and his nomadic, cosmopolitan spirit. The immersive, multi-sensory experience traces Husain’s artistic journey from his formative years in India to his final years in Doha as a citizen of Qatar.
Drawing from more than 80 of Husain’s representative works, the exhibition creates a dynamic visual panorama interlaced with photographs, drawings, poems, cinema posters, and rarely seen archival material. The presentation explores Husain’s vision of India as both an ancient civilization and a postcolonial nation, articulated through mythologies, shared histories, and symbolic iconographies rooted in secular artistic sensibility.
Immersive Experience
Reimagined since its inaugural presentation at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2024, the exhibition introduces new spatial and sensory dimensions. The complex production integrates motion graphics, live action, 2D and 3D animation, choreography, and sound design to unpack the concept of “yatra” (journey)—both as civilizational ethos and artistic calling.
Official Statements
Sheikha Reem Al-Thani, Acting Deputy CEO of Exhibitions, Public Art, and Rubaiya Qatar and Director of Central Exhibitions at Qatar Museums, stated: “Through The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain, Qatar Museums is proud to continue its dialogue with India’s rich artistic heritage in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Husain’s vision—spanning continents, histories, and identities—reflects the spirit of exchange that defines Qatar’s cultural landscape today.”
Roobina Karode, Director and Chief Curator at KNMA, noted the special significance of partnering with QM Gallery Katara, as “Qatar having opened a new chapter of artistic production for the artist” during Husain’s later years.
Context and Significance
The exhibition is presented as part of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign honoring Qatar’s cultural journey over the past 50 years since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar. It builds on the legacy of the Qatar–India 2019 Year of Culture.
About MF Husain
Born September 7, 1913, Maqbool Fida Husain remains one of the most significant and internationally acclaimed Indian artists of the 20th century. A founder of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, his bold colors and expressive brushwork became quintessential to Indian modernism. His work was inspired by his vision of a new India following the 1947 Partition.
Husain served in India’s Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) from 1986-92. In the 1990s, he faced controversy amid religious extremism and protests. Having left India in 2006, Husain spent his later years in self-imposed exile in Qatar and London, where he died in 2011.
Exhibition Details:
- Title: The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain
- Dates: October 28, 2025 – February 7, 2026
- Venue: QM Gallery Katara, Doha, Qatar
- Curated by: KNMA
- Designed by: Visioni Srl, Rome
Cover Image: MF Husain, Birds-in-Tree, 1973, oil on canvas. © MF Husain, 2025. Photo: © MF Husain. Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Collection.
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