Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum is the newest addition to Qatar’s Education City, expanding the country’s cultural landscape. Launched by Qatar Foundation, the museum is the first institution dedicated entirely to tracing Husain’s artistic journey from the 1950s until his death in 2011. Bringing together more than 150 works and personal objects, it offers an insight into his multidisciplinary practice across painting, sculpture, film, tapestry, photography, and poetry.
Maqbool Fida Husain – more wildely known as M. F. Husain – was an Indian-born artist who later held Qatari citizenship. He developed a visual language rooted in the richness of South Asian civilisation while remaining in dialogue with artistic traditions from the West and the Arab world. His multidisciplinary practice engaged deeply with postcolonial transitions, rural life, religious diversity, and the mythologies that shaped South and Southwest Asia. A founding member of the Progressive Artists Group, Husain spent his final years in Qatar, where he continued to expand his practice and shape a legacy that resonates across global art history.
The museum’s architecture was inspired by a sketch the artist drew himself – which Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, unveiled at the inauguration ceremony on the 27th of November 2025. To learn more about the museum, Selections spoke with Noof Mohamed (N.M) – Curator of Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, and Project Manager of the Art Portfolio in Qatar Foundation – who explains the curatorial process and narrative behind Lawh Wa Qalam.
What motivated Qatar Foundation to dedicate an entire museum to M. F. Husain, and how did his multidisciplinary practice shape the concept for this institution?
N.M: Maqbool Fida Husain was one of the most imaginative and wide-ranging artists of the modern era. He painted, filmed, photographed, and designed with the same instinctive fluency, creating a visual language that drew from South Asia, the Arab world, and global modernism. A museum devoted entirely to his work felt not only appropriate, but necessary, especially because his legacy continues to speak to audiences across generations.
For Qatar Foundation, the decision was also shaped by the work Husain created in Doha, particularly Seeroo fi al ardh and the Arab Civilization series. Bringing these pieces together in a museum he imagined gives this period of his life a clarity it has never fully had. It reflects Qatar Foundation’s belief that creativity is a form of learning, a way for people to test ideas, connect with others, and imagine new possibilities.
From the outset, Husain’s multidisciplinary way of working informed how Lawh Wa Qalam took shape. The Museum was not conceived as a memorial, but as a space that stays alive through painting, film, photography, and design. It mirrors the way he moved between forms, offering visitors an environment where ideas unfold gradually and where art becomes a way into knowledge and discovery.
Can you describe the research process behind selecting the works for display? Were there particular periods, themes, or pieces that were prioritised in telling Husain’s story?
N.M: We begin the curatorial narrative with a gallery entirely devoted to who M. F. Husain was. It includes his early works from the 1950s onward, including a film on his life and his own films, and a selection of personal objects. This opening space introduces visitors to the artist before moving into the works he created in Doha, while also showcasing the breadth of his practice across multiple mediums, from painting and drawing to film and archival material. By grounding visitors in the wider arc of his career, the narrative provides the context needed to understand the significance of his final years in Qatar and the monumental body of work at Lawh Wa Qalam.
The selection process began with extensive research into Husain’s practice and the materials related to the period he spent in Doha. Rather than building a full retrospective, the aim was to identify works that reflect the core ideas that shaped his thinking across time.
The later phase of his career, when he developed Seeroo fi al ardh and the Arab Civilization series, receives particular focus because of its scale and relevance to Qatar. These works are shown alongside selected pieces that introduce themes that run through his practice, including movement, cultural storytelling, and the relationship between tradition and modernity. Presenting them together helps visitors follow the development of his ideas without being overwhelmed. The goal was to create a clear narrative that allows people to engage closely with his work while still acknowledging the breadth of his contribution to modern art.
How are the museum halls or rooms organised to guide visitors through Husain’s life and artistic journey? Is there a deliberate narrative structure linking his early work, thematic series, and late creations?
N.M: The museum follows an intended curatorial sequence, but it isn’t designed as a fixed route. Visitors can move through it however feels natural, while still being able to follow the larger story if they choose to.
The experience opens with Art in Motion, an immersive room that sets the tone for how Husain thought about movement, colour, and scale. From there, A World of His Own introduces the beginnings of his practice and the way he worked across painting, sculpture, photography, tapestry, and film. This gallery also includes a small film tower where visitors can see excerpts from his movies.
The next gallery, A Curious Mind, brings together works that reflect Husain’s interest in history, religion, and philosophy. It looks at how these ideas informed his approach rather than treating them as separate themes. This leads into An Artist Without Borders, which focuses on his connection to Arab civilization and his Yemeni heritage. Horses appear throughout this space, echoing a motif that stayed with him throughout his life. The visit concludes in Seeroo fi al ardh, where Husain’s late work comes together on a much larger scale. This gallery looks at how he combined art, science, and technology to express ideas about progress and human potential.
So while there is a preferred sequence that links his early work to his final projects, the museum still allows visitors to take their own path. The intention is to offer structure without restricting how people encounter the work.
Husain worked across painting, film, tapestry, photography, and more. How did the curatorial team integrate these diverse mediums into a cohesive visitor experience without overwhelming the narrative?
N.M: At Lawh Wa Qalam, our curatorial approach was informed by the intention of following both a story and a chronology. Film appears where movement becomes part of the story, photography where context is needed, and textiles where material presence deepens the atmosphere. This keeps the experience focused while still showing the range of his practice.
The display is organised around curatorial narrative and storytelling instead of separating works by category. Painting, film, and other forms sit together when they speak to the same theme, reflecting the way Husain moved between mediums in his own work. The aim is for visitors to experience the breadth of his practice without feeling overwhelmed, and to notice how one form often informed another.
The building is based on a sketch by Husain himself. How has this concept been realised architecturally, and how does the structure reflect or dialogue with his artistic vision both externally and internally?
N.M: The Museum takes its starting point from a sketch in which Husain imagined a blue-tiled façade with the words Lawh Wa Qalam in Arabic, making the museum itself a spectacular piece of art. Architect Martand Khosla and his team treated the drawing as a conceptual guide, preserving the blue mosaic and inscription as defining elements of the exterior.
Inside, the architecture is designed to feel open and easy to navigate. Spaces open onto one another gradually, offering different perspectives without forcing a set route. There are areas to pause, look out, or sit together, so the building can function as both an exhibition space and a place where people communicate. The intention was to respect the spirit of Husain’s sketch while creating a museum that works for visitors and for learning today.
Instead of acting as a backdrop, the building is designed to be something visitors move with and look through, offering shifting perspectives along the way. It draws from Husain’s original idea in a way that feels genuine, while also meeting the practical needs of a modern museum.
How does the museum balance educational storytelling with aesthetic experience? Are there particular installations, multimedia elements, or spatial designs that aim to immerse visitors in Husain’s creative universe?
N.M: At Lawh Wa Qalam, education is woven into the experience in a way that feels natural rather than instructional. Context is offered only where it genuinely adds insight, but visitors are still encouraged to look first and form their own responses. The aim is for learning to happen gradually and without interrupting the encounter with the works themselves.
Film and archival material are presented in dedicated areas so they can be viewed without shifting the atmosphere of the galleries. The pacing of the spaces allows for unhurried movement and quiet moments, giving visitors time to absorb what they are seeing before moving on.
In addition to a 360° immersive and interactive gallery called Art in Motion, Lawh Wa Qalam also houses a “film tower” where the visitors can enter into a space surrounded by snippets of his films, Gaja Gamini and Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. This space also includes praxinoscopes and a periscope, enhancing the immersive experience.
True to Husain’s belief that art extends beyond the canvas— these spaces invite visitors to immerse into his art and experience the static images becoming a living environment surrounded by colours, forms, and stories. The intention is to create an environment that feels welcoming for different kinds of audiences, whether someone arrives familiar with Husain’s work or is discovering it for the first time.
Beyond showcasing Husain’s artworks, how does the museum aim to foster broader dialogue about modern art in Qatar and the region, and what lasting impact do you hope it will have on audiences and researchers alike?
N.M: Lawh Wa Qalam aims to contribute to East-East conversations about modern art in the region by presenting Husain’s work within a broader cultural and educational setting through learning and outreach programmes for all ages. Its position in Education City creates opportunities for artists, students, researchers, and the wider public to engage through study, discussion, and creative practice, making the museum part of an active learning environment rather than a standalone destination.
Over time, the museum plans to support research and collaborative programming that encourages new perspectives on artistic histories connected to this part of the world. The hope is that visitors return not only to see Husain’s work, but to explore how ideas continue to develop through dialogue and exchange. If the museum becomes a place that sparks curiosity and invites ongoing conversation, it will have fulfilled its purpose.
About Noof Mohamed
Noof Mohammed is the Curator of Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, where she leads the development of its curatorial vision and artistic initiatives in alignment with Qatar Foundation’s mission. Before joining the museum, she spent over 12 years at the National Museum of Qatar as a key member of the curatorial team, contributing to major institutional milestones and overseeing the planning, research, and installation of the permanent Modern Qatar galleries from concept to opening. Her experience also includes curatorial roles at the Amiri Diwan Museum and the development of a major temporary exhibition on the Al Jazeera Media Network in collaboration with Lusail Museum.