Delhi | The DAG is hosting an exhibition that celebrates MF Husain and his enduring legacy 

Explore MF Husain's legacy through 116 works at DAG's Husain: The Timeless Modernist exhibition in Delhi.

Maqbool Fida Husain or MF Husain’s life and death have been a recurring subject of discourse. While his body of work has been celebrated repeatedly, not many exhibitions have been able to evocatively capture the prolific artist and painter’s curious mind and indelible legacy. A new showcase Husain: The Timeless Modernist at DAG in Delhi’s stately Janpath area attempts to change that.

This exhibition, following the prelude Master Maqbool in Mumbai in 2022, features a collection of 116 works that offer an extensive representation of Husain’s artistic journey from the 1950s to the 2000s.

“The singular aim with this exhibition was to provide a research-led qualitative narrative which provides a holistic perspective on Husain’s practice, showcasing as it does his diverse and rich practice across six stellar decades,” says Ashish Anand, CEO and Managing Director, DAG.

Curating the exhibition of this scale was a challenging task. It was a labour of love that took the better part of two years, confirms Ashish.

“While we already have a sizeable collection of Husain’s works at DAG but for an exhibition in which both high quality and representation were important…it was critical to ensure we didn’t have too many works from one period at the expense of another that was less adequately represented,” he adds.

Spread over two floors, the exhibition has been divided into six sections for a better understanding of the artist and painter. One needs to spend a few hours or return a couple of times to absorb the expanse of Husain’s works.

My walkthrough of the show began with ‘Conversations and Connections’– a series of portraits offering a window into Husain’s perception of himself and how he was with the world around him. His emotional intensity shows up across works, confirming the ease with which he formed personal connections.