Doha: Qatar Museums (QM) opened The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain, an immersive exhibition featuring the works of Maqbool Fida Husain (1913–2011), one of India’s iconic artists.
The exhibition, held at QM Gallery Katara, is in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi, highlights more than 80 of Husain’s seminal works, complemented by a rich selection of textual and archival materials that offer deeper insight into the artist’s creative journey.
The opening on Monday night was attended by Chairperson of Qatar Museums HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, HE Lolwah Al Khater, the Minister of Education and Higher Education and Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Museums, CEO of Qatar Museums Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, and other distinguished guests, including Kiran Nadar, the founder of the KNMA, and Owais Husain, a multimedia artist and son of MF Husain.
Guests enjoyed a captivating performance by The Manganiyar Selection, an acclaimed Indian ensemble, at the Katara Amphitheater, also presented in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Directed by Roysten Abel, the performance offered a spellbinding fusion of music, theatre, and visual artistry.
Photos by Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Conceived and curated by KNMA, and designed by Visioni Srl, Rome, the immersive experience was originally shown at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia in 2024. It has been reimagined for Doha, introducing new spatial and sensory experiences that trace Husain’s artistic journey, shaped by memory, mythology, and a nomadic spirit.
The immersive experience delves into the expanded meanings of yatra, or journey — as an enduring symbol of civilization, a guiding force in artistic expression, and a metaphor for inner and collective transformation.
Through a remarkable body of work that intertwines myth, memory, and modernity, The Rooted Nomad: M.F. Husain reflects the artist’s vision of India as both an ancient civilization and a modern nation.
The exhibition will be on view from 28 October 2025 to 7 February 2026.
The Rooted Nomad: MF Husain is presented as part of Evolution Nation, an 18-month campaign honouring Qatar’s cultural journey over the past 50 years, since the founding of the National Museum of Qatar, and builds on the legacy of the Qatar–India 2019 Year of Culture.
