Artists and admirers gathered to celebrate the 87-year-old post-Partition painter, art historian, and poet Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.
MF Husain faced multiple legal battles after his provocative depictions of Hindu deities sparked outrage. Courts upheld his right to artistic freedom, dismissing charges of obscenity.
Global media also looks at MF Husain’s controversial history in light of a court-ordered seizure of 2 of his paintings & ‘rising tide of illiberalism against artistic expression in India’.
The 2 paintings of Hindu deities were displayed at Delhi Art Gallery. Experts say courts must set boundaries on the extent to which individuals can object to artists' creative expression.
An exhibition at Delhi’s DAG World revisits MF Husain’s paintings a decade after his death in 2011 in London. He left India in 2006 amid hundreds of legal cases, virulent abuse, hate speech, assault, and a climate of fear.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
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