Artists
Artists in the Collection
34 artists · Page 3 / 4
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 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
Neriman Oyman
Figurative painting of an expressionist, fantastical and fairy-tale character; bold colour palettes, dreamlike imagery, a synthesis of East and West
Born in Istanbul in 1965. She trained in the studio of Avni Memedoğlu between 1990 and 1992, and since 1992 has worked from her own studio in Asmalımescit. Describing herself as "a woman who hears colours and sees sounds," she has forged a figurative language of expressionist, fantastical and fairy-tale character; themes such as the place of women in society, poverty, war and migration run through her work in a vividly colourist idiom. With more than thirty solo exhibitions in Turkey and abroad, Oyman celebrated the fortieth year of her artistic life in 2024 with an exhibition staged in the historic Hüsrev Kethüda Hamam in Istanbul.
- ·More than thirty solo exhibitions in Turkey and abroad
- ·Fortieth-anniversary exhibition staged in the historic Hüsrev Kethüda Hamam (Istanbul, 2024)
- ·Subject of a published biography: "Kendini Yaratan Kadın: Neriman Oyman" by Ali Fuat Karaöz
Saim Dursun
Thickly textured, colour-driven Anatolian scenes built with the palette knife
Saim Dursun (1959, Elazığ – 2021) owed the turning point of his career to the French art historian Didier Vacher, whom he met in 1989 at the Beyoğlu Municipality Art Gallery; following that encounter he pursued studio work in Istanbul and in France between 1989 and 2003. In thickly textured oils worked with the palette knife he painted the people and daily life of the Anatolian landscape; colour, light and movement are the three essential elements of his work. He received three awards from the town of Le Val in France and held more than forty solo exhibitions in Turkey and abroad. One of his works is held in the collection of the Ankara Museum of Painting and Sculpture.
- ·Awards from Le Val, France: Citoyen d'honneur – la Médaille d'Or (1990), Diplôme d'Excellence – la Médaille d'Or (1994), Le Grand Aigle d'Or (1995)
- ·More than forty solo exhibitions in Turkey and abroad
- ·A work held in the collection of the Ankara Museum of Painting and Sculpture
