M.F. Hussain : A Legend Passes Away

M.F. Hussain : A Legend Passes Away

M.F. Hussain India's most famous painter, died Thursday. He was 95. He died at the Royal Brompton hospital in London.

Billboard Topper

Hussain rose from a career as movie billboard artist to become India's most sought-after painter.

India's Piccaso

Hussain was often described as India's Picasso. The artist, whose full name was Maqbool Fida Hussain but who was known simply as M.F. Hussain, started out as a poster artist for India's prolific Bollywood film industry.

Exiled!

Hussain had lived in self-imposed exile Dubai since 2006 after coming under attack from Hindu hard-liners in India.

Controversial Person

He was under attack for a nude painting of a woman shaped like India's map, often depicted as Mother India in popular arts, folklore and literature. A nude of Hindu Goddess Saraswati also angered the hard-liners.

Status Symbols

His paintings and even his simple pencil drawings became status symbols for India's wealthy elite, with his works commanding price tags running into millions of dollars.

Shabana is Saddened

Well-known actress Shabana Azmi, a close family friend of the artist, said that she was 'deeply, deeply saddened,' to learn of Hussain's death. She described him as an 'iconoclastic painter, a wonderful human being and a very good friend.'