Maqbool Fida Husain, often dubbed the godfather of contemporary Indian art, was born on September 17, 1915. He began his art career painting cinema hoardings in Mumbai and began to gain recognition in the 1940s when he joined the Progressive Artists' Group.

Husain went on to become India's highest-paid painter, with some of his paintings fetching millions of dollars. After being hounded in a controversy over his portrayal of Hindu deities, he went into self-imposed exile in 2006. He died  in London on June 9, 2011.