M.F. Husain Died in London
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Edit
hpk
M.F. Husain Died in London - President Prathiba Patil's office in New Delhi said that M.F. Husain, often called "The Picasso of India", passed away in hospital in the British capital during the early hours of the morning.
India's most famous and controversial modern artist, M.F. Husain, who fled the country in 2006 after death threats from Hindu extremists, died in London on Thursday at the age of 95.
Indian media cited family members saying that he had suffered a heart attack and lung failure after being in "indifferent health" for several weeks.
The Muslim painter's death brought to an end to a turbulent chapter in modern India that showed how religious sentiments could still be easily aroused -- often for political ends -- and the limits of artistic self-expression.
In life, Hindu ultra-conservatives including the regional Shiv Sena party in Husain's home state of Maharashtra denounced his works as pornographic, blasphemous and an affront to national values.
Controversy failed to dampen the enthusiasm of overseas collectors: in 2008, one of his paintings, influenced by Hindu epic The Mahabharata, fetched $1.6 million at Christie's in London.
But even in death he deeply divided Indian opinion, with the public split between those who saw him as a great artist and others who attacked him for depicting naked Hindu gods.
Among the more generous tributes was that of President Patil, who said Husain's death would leave "a deep void in the world of art and creativity".
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that in M.F. Husain death, "the nation has lost an iconic artist and the art world one of its most colourful personalities, whose genius left a deep imprint on Indian art".
Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray, who was at the forefront of the campaign against Husain, was conciliatory, saying that the artist was "a national asset and his contribution to the field of Indian art can never be overlooked".
"Whatever controversies happened should be laid to rest with his passing and if his family wishes to bring back the mortal remains home, it should be allowed," he added.
But Thackeray maintained that M.F. Husain had "slipped" by his depictions of revered Hindu goddesses in the nude, which angered violent Hindu fanatics and led to his self-imposed exile due to death threats and endless legal battles.
M.F. Husain supporters were angry that he had to die abroad and criticised the government for its belated praise.
"India didn't have the privilege of seeing him in his last moments, that is a huge loss for this country," Jitish Kallat, one of India's leading young artists, told the television news channel NDTV.
"I think it is a black mark on the Indian state which has not understood the immensity and the relevance of Husain."
Mumbai socialite and novelist Shobhaa De added: "Anything it (the government) chooses to do now in retrospect is really an insult to his memory.
"Why couldn't he be allowed to come back to his own country as a proud Indian?"
Maqbool Fida Husain, a former Bollywood poster artist whose career took off after Indian independence in 1947, had been in London where three of his paintings were sold by the auction house Bonhams as recently as last week.
He left India in 2006 after Hindu hardliners accused him of insulting their faith, leading to attacks on his home and galleries showing his work, death threats and even a $11.5 million bounty on his head.
He said in 2008 he was homesick and longed to return to Mumbai, where he trained at the Sir J.J. School of Art, but accused the government of not being prepared to provide him with the protection he needed.
Husain, who often went barefoot and was once thrown out of a Mumbai private members' club for not wearing shoes, accepted Qatari citizenship in 2010, admitting that his advancing years made it impossible to fight his detractors.
Indian ministers recently tried unsuccessfully to tempt him home.
The artist always said that nudity symbolised purity, insisting that naked goddesses were a long-established part of the country's iconography dating back to antiquity.
Many saw him as a victim of the fierce communalism that gripped India in the 1990s and early 2000s and of the socially conservative country's tough censorship laws.
the cheapest car insurance
cost of car insurance
best car insurance quotes
insurance auto
insurance quotes car
get car insurance quotes online
car insurance agent
instant car insurance quote
car insurance websites
direct car insurance
insure a car
motor car insurance quote
cheap car insurance
online quotes for car insurance
car insurers
commercial car insurance
motor insurance quote
car insurance quotes online
get a quote online
international health insurance
compare car insurance quotes
insurance for car
compare car insurance
car insurance
buy life insurance online
compare auto insurance
international medical insurance
general car insurance
cheap motor insurance
low car insurance
car insurance comparison
company car insurance
budget car insurance
private health insurance
online quote car insurance
cheap motor car insurance
car insurance for new drivers
cheap car insurance quotes online
online car insurance quotes
get car insurance quotes
car insurance quotes comparison
motor car insurance
car insurance quotes
car insurance cheap
comprehensive car insurance
best auto insurance
short term health insurance
motor insurance
cheap online car insurance
online motor insurance quotes
car insurance california
buycarinsurance
online vehicle insurance
free car insurance quotes
landlord insurance
health insurance for children
motorbike insurance
monthly car insurance
car insurance usa
car insurance reviews
car insurance renewal quotes
vehicle insurance
health insurance rates
term life insurance quotes
vehicle insurance quotes
car insurance compare
motor vehicle insurance
best car insurance
motor insurance online quote
car insurance online quote
life insurance online
supplemental health insurance
best car insurance rates
car insurance discounts
motor vehicle insurance quotes
auto insurance
cheap travel insurance
bike insurance
travel medical insurance
buy car insurance online
online motor insurance
travel insurance quote
get a quote for car insurance
health insurance agent
car insurance companies
cheap car insurance companies
travel insurance
annual travel insurance
commercial vehicle insurance
permanent life insurance
medical insurance quotes
online car insurance
cheap car insurance quotes
car insurance online
quote insurance online
level term life insurance
health insurance comparison
how much is car insurance
travel health insurance
pet health insurance
quotes on cars
health ins
travel insurance uk
quote for car insurance
get insurance quote online
disability insurance quote
temporary health insurance
temporary insurance
rental car insurance
cheap health insurance
auto insurance compare
third party car insurance
buy health insurance
auto insurance quotes
cheap insurance companies
best term life insurance
personal health insurance
online quote insurance
car insurance premium
health insurance policies
quotes for cars
whole life insurance
credit insurance
cheap van insurance
cheap term life insurance
cheap motorcycle insurance
compare life insurance
car insurance cover
health insurance
motorcycle insurance
short term car insurance
health insurance coverage
insurance qoute
cheap life insurance
house insurance quote
car insurance uk
health insurance companies
cigna health insurance
cheap insurance
cheap car insurance uk
compare health insurance
car insurance for young drivers
short term insurance
online health insurance
caravan insurance
life insurance comparison
direct insurance
health insurance plans
motor insurance online
car insurance estimator
accident insurance
home insurance quotes
nj car insurance
new car insurance
private medical insurance
home insurance
car insurance brokers
car insurance rates
commercial insurance
health insurance quotes
motor insurance companies
which car insurance
car quotes online
online auto insurance
flood insurance
cheap auto insurance quotes
car insurance agencies
business health insurance
term life insurance
truck insurance
professional indemnity insurance
life insurance
car insurance policy
long term care insurance
drive insurance
buy insurance
car ins
motorcycle insurance quote
critical illness insurance
term insurance
student health insurance
home insurance comparison
insurance rates
insurance cover
holiday insurance
insurance sites
online vehicle insurance quotes
company website
home insurance rates
compare insurance
buy insurance online
affordable medical insurance
car insurance coverage
product liability insurance
home contents insurance
buy life insurance
renters insurance
group health insurance
family health insurance
motor insurance quote online
mortgage insurance
best home insurance
personal insurance
medical insurance
property insurance
life insurance agent
group insurance
aetna health insurance
cheap medical insurance
liability insurance
rental insurance
life insurance policy
group life insurance
general liability insurance
insurance quotes online
all car insurance companies
best health insurance
insurance plans
life insurance for seniors
van insurance
website quote
universal life insurance
building insurance
co insurance
insurance car
car insurance prices
disability insurance
insurance vehicle
cheap vehicle insurance
senior life insurance
medical insurance plans
insurance health
house insurance
life insurance quotes
car quotes
cheap home insurance
