Artists
Artists in the Collection
38 artists · Page 3 / 5
İbrahim Safi
Landscape, still life and portrait painting in the colour and light of Impressionism, worked with a fluent brush
Born in Nakhchivan in 1898, İbrahim Safi (born Rahman Safiyev) studied fine art in Moscow after his first lessons in painting. Leaving his homeland after the Bolshevik Revolution, he settled in Istanbul during the First World War, entered the Academy of Fine Arts (Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi), graduated in 1923 and continued to work in Namık İsmail's studio until 1930. He held his first solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1946 and, from 1955 onwards, spent some ten years working in various European cities. He became known for the landscapes, still lifes and portraits he painted with the colour and light of Impressionism. He died in 1983 in Istanbul, the city where he had spent sixty-five years of his life.
- ·Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1923; worked in Namık İsmail's studio until 1930
- ·First solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1946; from 1955 he worked for some ten years in various European cities
- ·His works are held in the collections of the Ankara and İzmir Museums of Painting and Sculpture
Kadri Aytolon
Landscapes of Istanbul and Marmara in a robust and unadorned handling of the brush
Kadri Aytolon (1873, Istanbul – 1957, Istanbul) served in his youth at the Imperial School of Military Engineering (Mühendishane-i Berrî-i Hümâyun); he was sent abroad for his education and pursued his work in painting as he travelled through a number of countries. Over the course of his life he took part in four exhibitions, two of them solo and two group shows. He painted chiefly landscapes of Istanbul and the Marmara region; views of the Bosphorus, Rumeli Hisarı and mosque interiors are among his known subjects.
- ·Known for his views of the Bosphorus, Rumeli Hisarı and his depictions of mosque interiors
Karl Talip Kara
A richly coloured, decorative idiom that fuses tile, calligraphy and illumination motifs with contemporary oil painting
Karl Talip Kara (b. 1978, Brussels) studied fine arts at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels and continued his training in Paris and, between 2010 and 2012, at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. Having travelled through thirty-eight countries, he first encountered calligraphy in China and settled in Turkey around 2012. He carries the motifs of the classical Turkish-Islamic arts — calligraphy, İznik tilework and illumination — into contemporary oil painting, blending them with Far Eastern influences; he has exhibited in Brussels, Baku, Astana, Beijing and Istanbul and is among the artists of the Eclectic Gallery in London. The Galata Tower and the Istanbul skyline are recurring subjects of his vividly coloured, densely layered compositions.
- ·Trained at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing
- ·Represented by the Eclectic Gallery, London; exhibitions in Brussels, Baku, Astana, Beijing and Istanbul
Mehmet Pesen
Ornamental figurative painting that carries the schematic construction of the miniature tradition onto canvas
Mehmet Pesen (1923, Istanbul – 2012, Istanbul) graduated in 1948 from the Higher Department of Painting at the State Academy of Fine Arts, trained in the studio of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu; he was among the members of the "Group of Ten", formed in 1947 by Eyüboğlu's students. Turning in the 1950s towards a semi-abstract and ornamental language, from 1975 onward he took up the art of the miniature, carrying the everyday life of the people of Anatolia and views of Istanbul onto canvas through the schematic, two-dimensional construction of miniature painting. He taught drawing and painting for many years at Haydarpaşa High School; his works are held in the collection of the İzmir Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
- ·Trained in the studio of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu; a member of the "Group of Ten" (1947)
- ·His "Bridal Procession" and "Figurative" are held in the İzmir Museum of Painting and Sculpture
- ·First prize in an international competition on the theme of Peace, Love and Friendship (1986)
Mustafa Sönmez
Dreamlike figurative painting that layers realist portraiture with miniature figures, gilded ornament and flowing swirls of colour
Mustafa Sönmez (b. 1992, Konya) entered the Painting Department of Selçuk University's Faculty of Fine Arts in 2010 with the highest placement, graduated with distinction and went on to postgraduate study. In 2014 Sönmez took part in printmaking studies at the Süleyman Saim Tekcan workshop at IMOGA, the Istanbul Museum of Graphic Arts. With some ten awards — among them first prize at the 12th Bahattin Tatış Painting Competition (2014) and a merit award at the 16th Şefik Bursalı Painting Competition (2016) — the artist works in watercolour, intaglio and oil on canvas. In the work in our collection, a realist portrait is layered with miniature figures, gilded ornament and flowing swirls of colour.
- ·First prize, 12th Bahattin Tatış Painting Competition (2014)
- ·Printmaking studies at the Süleyman Saim Tekcan workshop, IMOGA, Istanbul (2014)
- ·Exhibition "Çingeneler Zamanı", Platform A, Ankara (2019)
Mustafa Turgut Tokad
Landscapes and city views on a small scale; a textured, thickly worked handling of the brush
Mustafa Turgut Tokad (1901–1988) was a Turkish painter known for his landscapes and city views in oil. Within the Fine Arts Union (Güzel Sanatlar Birliği) he took part in the 5th State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of 1943 and in the 13th of 1952. He worked for the most part on a small scale, on card and hardboard; views of Istanbul and Bursa, country landscapes and flower arrangements are among his recurring subjects.
- ·Took part in the 5th State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition (Ankara, 1943)
- ·Took part in the 13th State Painting and Sculpture Exhibition (Ankara, 1952)
Nazım Balaban
A figurative idiom of social content, treating the everyday life and traditions of Anatolia in many-figured compositions
Nazım Balaban (Hasan Nazım Balaban, b. 1955, Bursa) is the son of İbrahim Balaban (1921–2019), one of the masters of Turkish painting, and takes his name from the poet Nâzım Hikmet. Raised within the tradition of painting, he entered the art world with a group exhibition in Istanbul in 1984, and since 1997 has devoted himself entirely to his art. He has held numerous solo and joint exhibitions, among them "Father and Son Balaban" (2017–2018), staged with his father at the Ekol Art Gallery in İzmir. He carries forward the family line — the everyday life and traditions of the people of Anatolia — in an expressive language of his own.
- ·Son of the master painter İbrahim Balaban; named after the poet Nâzım Hikmet
- ·"Father and Son Balaban" joint exhibition (Ekol Art Gallery, İzmir, 2017–2018)
Necdet Kalay
Landscape of impressionist tendency; broad brushstrokes, greys and pastel tones
Necdet Kalay (1932, Istanbul – 1986) began his training in painting alongside the sculptor Faruk Morel and the painter Şeref Akdik, and between 1954 and 1957 worked as a visiting student at the İstanbul State Academy of Fine Arts. His artistic life began in 1958, when one of his paintings was accepted for the exhibition of the Fine Arts Society in Ankara; he opened his first solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1960. Views of the Golden Horn and the harbour, barges, Anatolian landscapes and village houses became his recurring subjects.
- ·His works are held in the collections of the Ankara and İzmir Museums of Painting and Sculpture
- ·Opened his first solo exhibition in Istanbul in 1960
