Remembering MF Hussain, an artist above controversy and censorship

An artist has to be unfettered. He doesn't need boundaries and cannot abide by restrictions. And these are the very characteristics that have led artists being suppressed across the world.MF Hussain was one such artist.

The legend's tragedy was unfortunately born from his art - an entity which earned him laurels at the global stage yet forced him to live in exile. Forced to leave India, in an interview with The Guardian, just a month before his demise in 2011, Hussain had said that he fantasised about returning home.

His son, Owais, also a painter and film-maker, recalled how in those last weeks, his father would obsessively whisper plans about going back just for an afternoon. But none of those plans were meant to fructify and his wish to be back in his motherland was left unfulfilled.

A brush with controversy

Synonymous with contemporary Indian art, Hussain was described as the 'Pablo Picasso' of India by Forbes magazine. Honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, he was the highest paid painter in India with his single canvases fetching up to $2 million at a Christie's auction.

However, in February 2006, Husain was charged with hurting the sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses. This controversy raged till the end of his life.

On the artist's 100th birthday, here's a look at the artist's paintings which pulled him into controversy:

Bharatmata

Laxmi with Ganesha and Saraswati

Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler