M.F. Husain: The Rooted Nomad

Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) is proud to present The Rooted Nomad, the first immersive exhibition examining the life and work of one of India’s most important and influential artists, M.F. Husain (1915–2011). Presented for free at the Magazzini del Sale in Dorsoduro in Venice from April through November 2024, the immersive exhibition, designed by Visioni Eccentriche, will coincide with the Venice Biennale and its theme of “Foreigners Everywhere.” It will illuminate the international significance of India’s most important modernist whose canvas stretched across the sky to assimilate references from diverse cultures and arrive at a syncretic language in his art. Curated by KMNA Director and Chief Curator Roobina Karode, the exhibition celebrates his versatility as an artist, thinker and writer, juxtaposing his wooden toys, paintings, photographs, letters, snippets from his films, collages, letters and poetry that shaped his vision of India as a richly layered ‘cultural mosaic’.

Roobina Karode, Director and Chief Curator, KNMA said, “M.F. Husain’s spirit was that of a ‘rooted nomad.’ His itinerant imagination wandered the world only with an undying desire to return, living the later years of his life with the predicament of being estranged from his own land. He experienced life both as an insider and a foreigner at the same time, and in the same place that he could never detach himself from.”

KNMA Chairperson and founder Kiran Nadar said, “More than seven decades since his work was first exhibited at the Venice Biennale, in 1953, KNMA is honored to bring this ambitious project of the life and work of the eminent Indian artist M.F. Husain to Venice, at the moment when the world’s artists come together to create a tapestry that bind us as a global community. We are proud to offer this exhibition free of charge to the public so that as many people as possible can know the lasting impact of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.”

About M.F. Husain (1915–2011)
Maqbool Fida Husain was born on September 7, 1915. He is remembered as the most celebrated and internationally recognized Indian artist of the 20th century. His earthy bold colours and expressive brushwork became the quintessential style of Indian modernism. He was associated early on with the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, and much of his work was inspired by his vision of a new India following the partition of 1947. His themes, often depicted in series, ranged from humorous to serious and somber, covering subject matter ranging from Gandhi and Mother Teresa to the British Raj and Indian urban and rural life. Husain was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of Parliament, in 1986-92, during which time he recorded its events pictorially. Weaving together religious, social, literary, and symbolic iconographies into a secular artistic register, Husain was obsessed with the richness, diversity, and ethos of India, which represented for him a cultural mosaic. An artist who was hardly confined to paint in his studio, he was a “people’s painter” who painted wherever and whenever the moment demanded. Over the years, Husain’s astronomical success and larger-than-life presence on the Indian art scene garnered both acclaim and controversy. The 1990s saw the commotion of religious extremism, as Husain faced a backlash for allegedly offending the religious sentiments of the majority community, which crested into a campaign of protests. Following threats to his life, Husain was forced to leave his beloved India in 2006. His later years were spent in self-imposed exile between Qatar and London, where he died in 2011.

Organized and presented by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Venice, The Rooted Nomad opens April 2024, and is free to the public throughout its six-month run. The exhibition emphasizes KNMA’s ongoing commitment to showcase South Asian art around the globe