Spanning over 3,000 square metres, Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum’s architecture is inspired by Husain’s own sketch, which guided the conceptual vision and spatial character of the project. Four key elements define the design: a vivid blue structure, a cylindrical white signal, a bold yellow pathway, and a tented zone. While rooted in Husain’s drawings, the final form interprets these ideas with creative freedom, transforming artistic sketch into an immersive built experience.
Doha, Qatar: At Qatar Foundation’s Education City, Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum celebrates the life and legacy of Maqbool Fida Husain, a polymath whose creativity spanned painting, film, photography, calligraphy, and design. The museum reflects his restless imagination, cross-disciplinary approach, and the deep cultural bridges he built between South Asia and the Arab world. It is envisioned as a dynamic space where art, culture, and learning meet.
Chairperson of Qatar Foundation H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser is a great admirer of M. F. Husain and his work, particularly his explorations of Arab civilization and human innovation. She invited him to Qatar to honour and support his work, a relationship that culminated in her commissioning a series of paintings.
Seeroo fi al ardh, an art installation by the late artist that was completed and championed by the Qatar Foundation is an ode to human ingenuity, tracing the journey of civilization through art, science, and faith, nestled at the heart of Education City.
Spanning over 3,000 square meters the new Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum’s architecture is inspired by Husain’s own sketch, which guided the conceptual vision and spatial character of the project. Four key elements define the design: a vivid blue structure, a cylindrical white signal, a bold yellow pathway, and a tented zone. While rooted in Husain’s drawings, the final form interprets these ideas with creative freedom, transforming artistic sketch into an immersive built experience.
Lawh Wa Qalam: MF Husain Museum at the heart of Education City opens to public tomorrow, November 28. The museum celebrates the life and work of the iconic modern artist Maqbool Fida Husain.
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) November 27, 2025
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The museum’s collection includes over 150 original works and personal objects that aim to tell the story of Husain’s career, focusing on pivotal decades, works, and motifs that defined his practice from 1950 to his final works in Doha. This is complemented by archival materials, films, sketches, and a major installation that reflects Husain’s lifelong dialogue with humanity’s shared stories — of faith, creativity, and progress across time and place.
Every great museum is the result of vision, collaboration, and creative leadership. Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, Qatar Foundation’s landmark cultural project is no exception.
The Peninsula spoke to the architect of Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, Martand Khosla; he is an architect and artist based in New Delhi whose portfolio includes significant institutional and residential projects across India and Asia, including the MF Husain Gallery. Designing a building based on the sketch of an artist, he explained, was unlike anything he had encountered in his 25-year career.
“This museum holds a very special place for all of us from India and South Asia. It’s been a real honour and privilege to be part of realising this project.”
Husain left behind a drawing that became the foundation for the museum’s conceptual language. But translating that drawing into a functional architectural space required both imagination and discipline.
“A drawing is still on a piece of paper and there’s no site, no scale, no programme. We looked at it as a visual indicator. Our job was to realise it into a building with galleries, cafés, receptions, and all the elements an artist’s sketch doesn’t explicitly show,” said Khosla.
Khosla described the process as a series of “imaginary conversations” with the late artist.
“We spent almost a year trying to read not only the literal aspects of his drawing, but also the metaphorical. The deep connections between West Asia and South Asia—food, culture, language—these clues were all there.”
The project began in September 2023, with the design phase taking just over a year and construction lasting two years.
“The whole process took a little over three years. I feel deeply grateful that the museum is here, and that I was part of it.”
From Qatar Foundation’s perspective, the museum is an extension of a long-standing commitment to arts, learning, and public engagement. Kholoud Al-Ali, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Programming at QF, has overseen the establishment of the museum and its integration into Education City’s cultural ecosystem.
“We are unveiling Lawh Wa Qalam, a tribute to the iconic work and life of Maqbool Fida Husain.”
She emphasised that for three decades, Qatar Foundation’s mission has centred on unlocking human potential through education, innovation, culture, and lifelong learning.
“Across Education City, you can find over 100 pieces of public art. We invest in art and make it accessible because creativity challenges, educates, and inspires. This is why art is central to our continuing mission.”
For Al-Ali, the new museum reinforces this commitment. “As visitors step into it, they step into the world of Maqbool, his genius and legacy while also being invited to reflect, question, learn, and enjoy,” she said.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, today inaugurated Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum – a living testament to the enduring legacy of one of the world’s greatest modern art pioneers, Maqbool Fida Husain.
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) November 27, 2025
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Curator of Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, Noof Mohammed shaped the curatorial narrative of the galleries. For her, the building itself is designed from Husain’s sketch, became part of the storytelling.
“It’s an art piece on its own. Creating and curating this museum in a building based on the artist’s sketch has been incredible.”
The museum unfolds across three galleries. The first traces Husain’s early life and evolution as a polymath. The second expands on his mastery across art forms. The final gallery showcases works he produced in Qatar.
“The museum culminates with pieces never before seen anywhere else in the world. I can’t wait for visitors to experience it,” said Mohammed.
For Manager of Communication and Outreach at QF, Jowaher Al-Marri, the museum reinforces Qatar Foundation’s longstanding commitment to integrating art within Education City.
“Education City is Qatar Foundation’s flagship, housing many art institutions and installations. The Lawh Wa Qalam Museum aligns with this vision by celebrating the legacy of a renowned artist.”
She highlighted how the art strategy supports QF’s broader mission.
“Qatar Foundation focuses on unlocking human potential. This museum embodies that by offering a free space for creativity, learning, innovation, and dialogue.”
Al-Marri also reflected on the public’s strong response to Seeroo fi al ardh.
“It’s touched every single person, not only our community. It celebrates humanity’s progress across land, sea, and air. It’s truly worth seeing.”
For her, the new museum is a long-term investment in Qatar’s cultural landscape: “It strengthens Qatar Foundation as an educational and artistic hub and promotes art as an essential part of community life,” said Al-Marri.
