M. F. Husain Biography

M. F. Husain was a 20th century Indian painter and a founding member of The Progressive Artists Group of Bombay (PAG). Often referred to as the "Picasso of India”, he was a much acclaimed artist in the international scenario and the best known Indian artist of the 20th century. Even though he worked primarily as a painter, he was also known for his drawings and his work as a printmaker, photographer, and filmmaker. Born in British India, he developed an early interest in art and learned the art of calligraphy and practiced the Kulfic khat with its geometric forms. A primarily self-taught man, he began his career painting graphic advertisements and posters for Bollywood movies. He also designed and made toys early on in his career. Indian independence and the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 was a turning point in his life. He started getting recognition for his work during this time and also became acquainted with other like-minded artists with who he formed the Progressive Artist's Group in Bombay. A versatile artist, the topics of his works covered diverse themes such as Mohandas K. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the British Raj, and motifs of Indian urban and rural life. Some of his later works, depicting Hindu deities stirred controversies, and he went on a self-imposed exile.