An e-mail and some phone calls demanding removal of his paintings from the gallery has prompted the NGMA staff to bring the issue to the notice of the High Ground police. The Ministry of Culture has also taken note of the incident.
The gallery has only two prints of Husain’s paintings titled “Mother and Son.” The paintings were a tribute to Mother Teresa. A week ago, NGMA got an e-mail saying Husain had hurt the sentiments of Hindus through his work. The artist is criticised for his portrayal of Hindu deities in the nude. The artist is now on a self-imposed exile in Dubai.
The e-mail said his work should be immediately removed from the gallery. NGMA also received a few phone calls with the similar demand. The callers were said to have threatened to launch protests if their demand was not met.
The Ministry of Culture has constituted an advisory committee of renowned artists to monitor the activities of the gallery.
A committee member told Deccan Herald that a copy of the e-mail had been forwarded to the police for further investigation.
“As it is a sensitive issue, it has been brought to the notice of the Ministry of Culture”, the member said.
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