Acclaimed Indian artist Maqbool Fida Hussain, commonly referred to as MF Hussain, has sadly died in London, aged 95. One of the most internationally recognised painters of the 20th century, MF Hussain was known as the “Picasso of India”, and earned both famed recognition and unwanted attention for his paintings, which are credited with influencing a whole generation of artists.

Despite living in self-imposed exile for the last four years, his loss was felt in India with the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, quoted as saying his death was a “national loss”, while the President of India, Pratibha Patil, stated he has “left a void in the world of art”, and Actress Shabana Azmi called him an “iconoclastic painter, a wonderful human being and a very good friend”.

MF Hussain’s career started out small. He worked on cinema hoardings (an iconic tradition that saw newly released Indian films promoted by huge oil on canvas paintings hung on the facades of cinemas) and in a toy factory, where he designed and built toys to give him enough money and time to do what he wanted: paint his own canvases. As a self-taught artist he gained prominence in the late 1940s, which was also when he joined the Progressive Artists’ Group, founded by Francis Newton Souza. By the time his first solo exhibition was held in Zurich in 1952 he was well on his way to becoming a world renowned artist, and his work was seen more and more throughout Europe and the US over the course of the next decade. Since then his reputation has only grown. His work now commands a hefty price: a single canvas sold recently at a Christie’s auction for $2 million.

While painting may have been his first passion, MF Hussain has also received international recognition as a printmaker, photographer, and filmmaker. His first film, ‘Through the Eyes of a Painter’, received critical acclaim – and a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival – in 1967, while other projects, such as ‘Gaja Gamini’ and ‘Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities’, also received their fair share of recognition. Currently, an autobiography of his life is being made into a film, tentatively entitled ‘The Making of the Painter’, with Shreyas Talpade portraying a young MF Hussain.

MF Hussain also has the accolades to back up his talent and reputation. In addition to several awards for his work as an artist and filmmaker, the Government of India awarded him three of India’s highest civilian awards in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the country: the prestigious Padma Shri in 1955, the Padma Bhushan in 1973, and the Padma Vibhushan in 1991.

Late in his life MF Hussain was granted Qatari citizenship and spent the majority of his time in Doha, but travelled often to Dubai and London. DFI were lucky enough to interview him in last year, when he told us his hopes for the future of Arab art: