At the edge of Doha, a new grey-blue building rises like a drawing on its skyline, its shimmering tiles shifting with the sun and casting geometric shadows.
The building seems to be leaning forward, as if eager to tell a story.
In a video clip of Lawh Wa Qalam, the world's first museum dedicated to MF Husain, we see glimpses of the extraordinary work of the late legendary Indian artist, whose prolific paintings and turbulent personal history have fascinated the world.
The museum honours the legacy of the artist who spent his last years in Qatar and was granted citizenship in 2010.
Spanning over some 3,000 sq m, it opened to visitors last week and is part of the expansive campus of Qatar Foundation's Education City, an educational and research hub.
Inside, more than 150 works and objects - including paintings, sculptures, films, tapestries and photos - map the astonishing breadth of Husain's career, offering visitors a rare window into the artist's late-life reflections and inspirations.
Husain always wanted his museum to feel like home, says Noof Mohammed, the curator. We want visitors to experience the world as he did, in an intimate, playful and reflective manner.
Few artists have travelled as widely, or imaginatively, as Husain. His horses - muscular and dynamic - remain some of the most prized and instantly recognisable paintings in contemporary art, sold for millions of dollars.
An artist who was often described to have a nomadic and bohemian disposition, he dabbled seamlessly with Cubist-inspired modernism and traditional Indian themes, creating bold and vibrant canvases with scenes from history and mythology.
His signature style earned him the moniker of the Picasso of India. He also made two Bollywood films, which failed at the box office.
Husain was also never without controversy. His paintings of nude Hindu goddesses angered hardline Hindus who accused him of obscenity, forcing him into a self-imposed exile.
After a tumultuous few years, it was in Qatar, away from the cultural battles at home, that he entered a period of deep contemplation and artistic renewal.
He was deeply engaged here, charmed and inspired by the Arab civilization and culture, Yousef Ahmad, a Qatar-based artist who knew Husain during his final years, told the BBC.
It is fitting then that the Lawh Wa Qalam museum refuses to be a conventional tribute to the artist.
One of the museum's main attractions is Seeroo fi al ardh (Walk In The Land), the ambitious multimedia project that occupied Husain's final years, which he envisaged as a narrative of civilization told through movement, sound and mechanical choreography.
In fact, the museum building itself is inspired by a 2008 sketch Husain made, showing two sculptural masses - the vivid blue-grey house connected by a cylindrical tower.
Indian architect Martand Khosla, who designed the structure with the Qatar Foundation, recalls the challenge of working from a single drawing, imagining countless conversations with the artist.
The result is a labyrinthine layout that invites visitors to wander, exploring every line, shade, and shadow as if following Husain's own brushstrokes.
The museum has interactive galleries that seek to place visitors directly inside Husain's world, each opening with a Husain quote.
Not surprisingly, Husain's beloved horses take center stage in the museum. We have tried to gather oral histories by talking to people who knew Husain, such as his driver, collaborators and friends, to give a personal sense of who he was, Ms. Mohammed explains.
A lesser-known chapter of Husain's journey unfolded in the Gulf, which the museum highlights. In 2008, Husain accepted a major commission from Qatar's Sheikh Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation. Using a rich, bold palette, he depicted Islamic astronomers, philosophers, and desert wanderers with kinetic lines that defined his Indian art, yet in warmer, earthen ochres reflecting the Gulf's landscape.
One of these paintings, The Battle of Badr, a pivotal moment in Islamic history, demonstrates his mastery of both movement and colour as he continued to merge historical and spiritual narratives in his signature style, Ms. Mohammed says.
By showing these alongside his Indian works, the museum not only celebrates Husain's legacy but also reframes it in a new context.
