Art Dubai

curatorial note

In 2006, when M. F. Husain left India, self-exiling himself from the country of his birth, he headed to the only other place he had called home—Dubai. Over the years, it had become a familiar destination and Husain, who liked the finer things in life as much as he liked his streetside glass of chai, had grown inordinately fond of the city. Its friendly nature and people appealed to him. And in the babble of expatriate voices, perhaps the most spoken language was Hindi. That his son Owais had a home there too helped.

Husain had been peripatetic all his life, travelling as much on whim as on work. While Dubai beckoned, he also enjoyed his frequent forays into London, where he passed away in 2011, after accepting Qatari citizenship. In Dubai, he turned his studio into a gallery, met visitors, painted and forged a bond with its people that has survived to this day.

Having only recently celebrated Husain’s legacy with a large retrospective exhibition at its galleries in New Delhi and Mumbai, it seemed appropriate that DAG curate a small, if eclectic, selection of his works for showing at Art Dubai. Those familiar with his style will recognise Husain’s characteristic expressive brushstrokes even though the works chosen for viewing are unusual and exemplify his genius at storytelling through colours. There is no doubt that Husain was prolific throughout his long career and this handpicked selection is an acknowledgement of the quality of paintings he produced during that practice that represent the finest modern art produced during the second half of the twentieth century. In mounting an exhibition as a homage to this great artist in the city he called his second home, we couldn’t have chosen better.