M.F. Husain | Fida on Cinema - - Exhibitions

M. F. Husain

Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (Homage to Satyajit Ray), 1990

Acrylic on canvas

96h x 168w in

Aicon Contemporary is proud to present Fida on Cinema, a focused exhibition of exceptional works by Maqbool Fida Husain (1915–2011), one of India’s most celebrated modernists. The exhibition explores Husain’s lifelong fascination with cinema, both as an art form and as a mirror to modern life, through rare paintings that trace his creative dialogue with filmmakers, actors, and the moving image itself.

At the heart of the presentation is Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (Homage to Satyajit Ray), an extraordinary, museum-quality painting that stands as a tribute from one visionary to another. Husain and Ray, two towering figures of post-independence India, shared a profound admiration for each other’s work. Having begun his career painting film billboards, Husain remained a devoted cinephile and filmmaker throughout his life, often translating cinematic language into paint.

M. F. Husain

Untitled (Gaja Gamini), c. 1998

Acrylic on canvas

36h x 24w in

Untitled (Gaja Gamini), painted in Paris for Husain’s close friends Rashmi and François Doré, merges his cinematic muse with animal forms; the elephant and bull that populated his earlier mythology. The work’s storied provenance, including its exhibition at the Indian Embassy in Paris, speaks to Husain’s global reach and enduring friendships.

Through these works, Fida on Cinema reveals the deep interplay between painting and film in Husain’s practice. Exploring how narrative, movement, and emotion traverse his canvas as they would a screen. This exhibition celebrates an artist who, throughout his prolific career, transformed the language of Indian modernism into one of rhythm, drama, and spectacle.

M. F. Husain

Untitled (Autumn Love), c. 1995

Acrylic on mylar

40h x 165.35w in

Created in 1991, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne channels the visual world of Ray’s beloved 1969 film of the same name. The painting captures the joyous motion and color of Ray’s characters, Goopy, Bagha, the foolish king, and the conniving minister, as they whirl across the canvas in a dynamic tribute to Ray’s imagination. Completed at a time when Ray was gravely ill and completing what would be his final film, Agantuk (The Stranger), Husain’s work resonates as an offering of friendship, admiration, and creative kinship.

Also featured are Untitled (Autumn Love) and Untitled (Gaja Gamini), monumental canvases inspired by Madhuri Dixit, the acclaimed Bollywood actress who became Husain’s muse in the 1990s. Untitled (Autumn Love) brings together scenes from Dixit’s films, notably Hum Aapke Hain Koun, in a sweeping composition alive with motion, color, and desire. The painting prefigures Husain’s 2000 film Gaja Gamini, which starred Dixit as a timeless embodiment of womanhood and creativity.

Please join us for the opening reception on November 20, 2025, from 6 to 8 pm.