The largest M. F. Husain museum, set to open in Qatar, is inspired by the artist’s own sketch

The building itself is a work of it, with its design being modelled after one of Husain’s own sketches from 2008 titled ‘M.F. Husain Art & Cinema Museum’—proof that he knew his dream project would come to fruition one day. In the artwork, palm trees, desert sand and a bold, geometric blue-and-black building with abstract shapes that resemble calligraphic strokes paint a picture of the artist’s vision. The yellow pathway that spills out from the arched entrance is a stand-in for a red carpet—an ode to the cinema that Husain often described as his first love.

Inside, the permanent collection on display will include his paintings, films, tapestries, photography, poetry and installations. Among the highlights are ‘Seeroo fi al ardh’, Husain’s final masterpiece depicting humanity’s progress, displayed in a dedicated gallery with an accompanying presentation, and a series of paintings inspired by the Arab civilisation, commissioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation—35 of which Husain completed before his passing.

Lawh Wa Qalam M. F. Husain Museum. Courtesy of Qatar Foundation

Despite living away from India during the last decade of his life, Husain remained deeply engaged with ideas of legacy, cinema and storytelling—whispers of a glorious past that saw him direct films like Through the Eyes of a Painter (1967), Gaja Gamini (2000) and the critically acclaimed Meenaxi (2004). The M. F. Husain Museum in Qatar is a celebration of an artist who saw the world as cinema and depicted it on his canvas as poetry.

The museum will open to public on November 20, 2025.