MF Husain: Indian court orders ban on ‘offensive’ paintings

In a statement, the art gallery said it was “reviewing the situation” and “attempting to follow developments”.

Maqbool Fida Husain was one of India’s greatest artists and was called the “Picasso of India”, but his art often sparked controversy in the country. His works have been sold for millions of dollars.

His career was marked by controversy when he was accused of obscenity and condemned by hardline Hindus for his painting of a naked goddess.

In 2006, Husain publicly apologized for the “Mother India” painting. A naked woman is shown kneeling on the ground forming the shape of a map of India. He left the country that same year and lived in self-imposed exile in London until his death.

In 2008 the Supreme Court of India He refused to initiate a criminal case against Hussain, externalsaid that his paintings were not obscene and that nudity was commonplace in Indian iconography and history.

The court later dismissed an appeal against a high court order quashing criminal cases against Hussain in Bhopal, Indore and Rajkot, which condemned the rise of “new puritanism” in India.

The court also rejected calls to summon Hussain, who was in exile at the time, and demanded an explanation for his paintings, which were accused of inciting religious sentiments and undermining national integrity.

“There are so many such topics, photographs, publications. Will you file a lawsuit against all of them? But temple buildings? Hussein’s work is art. If you don’t want to see it, don’t see it. There are so many such art forms in temple structures,” he said.

Many believe that there is a rising tide of illiberalism towards artistic expression in India.

Bombay High Court in October reprimanded the customs office, external for confiscating the artworks of renowned artists FN Souza and Akbar Padamsee on the grounds that they were “obscene material”.

The court ruled that not all nude or sexually explicit paintings were obscene and ordered the release of the seven confiscated artworks.

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