Nude Drawings of Hindu Gods Seized From Indian Gallery
Two drawings by the renowned late Indian artist Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain at the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) in New Delhi’s Connaught Place were seized on court orders on January 22, after a visitor affiliated with the city’s court system filed a legal complaint alleging that the works were offensive.
One of the drawings in question depict the elephant god Ganesh with a nude woman seated on his knee, and the other features an apparently nude rendition of the monkey god Hanuman holding a naked woman in his hand with his tail wrapped around the neck of an assailant.
In a statement shared with Hyperallergic, a spokesperson for DAG wrote that given its “implicit belief in artistic freedom, [the gallery] denies any wrongdoing as alleged by the complainant who has publicly claimed to be principally driven by a religious agenda.”
The gallery spokesperson added that the gallery was compliant with all aspects of the investigation, including handing over security camera footage as well as other evidence upon request.
Amita Sachdeva, an advocate for the Delhi High Court, publicized her complaint on X after visiting the solo presentation Husain: The Timeless Modernist at the gallery early last December, about a week before the exhibition was slated to close. She included photographs of both the “offensive paintings” in her post and alleged that the gallery had removed the works from display and claimed that they were never exhibited by the time an investigating officer responded to the complaint.
Sachdeva’s biography entry on her X account notes that she “will pursue legal action against anyone who insults Sanatan Dharma,” referring to the fundamental religious duties expected of all Hindus. In her complaint, she alleged that the works violated Clause 299 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the official criminal code of India that only came into effect in July 2024, replacing the centuries-old Indian Penal Code that was in place since 1860. Clause 299 refers to “deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.”
Though he was raised Muslim, Husain infused his creative practice with a visual curiosity for other religious faiths and maintained his commitment to artistic freedom. While he was among the highest paid, nationally awarded, and most revered artists of India, he was also widely criticized for his portrayals of nudity and sexuality among Hindu goddesses throughout his artwork.
A related series of Husain’s works from the 1970s were reprinted in a 1996 article called “M.F. Husain: A Painter or A Butcher?” that reignited a flurry of obscenity lawsuits, death threats from Hindu nationalists, and physical attacks on his gallery shows and home. Husain left India in 2006 in self-exile, and shuttled between Qatar and London until he died in 2011 at the age of 95.
Though the judge presiding over the case allowed investigating officers to proceed with seizing the two works on Wednesday, January 22, he soon dismissed the application for a written police document initiating a criminal investigation, citing that a “cognizable offence could not be ascertained.” Therefore, Sachdeva may proceed with a complaint case moving forward, but the matter does not warrant any further investigation from the state.
“DAG strongly opposes the complainant’s unfounded allegations and shall call out her attempt to launch a malicious prosecution against [the gallery], when called upon by the court to do so,” the gallery spokesperson shared in an updated statement sent to Hyperallergic. “DAG also intends to pursue its own legal remedies against the complainant for the false and mala fide accusations made by her.”
It’s not yet clear whether Husain’s drawings have been or will be returned to the gallery. Sachdeva did not respond to Hyperallergic‘s request for comment.
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