Selim Turan, 1915-1994

Selim Turan took his first painting lessons from Malik Aksel when he was still in elementary school. While studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, he took courses from prominent teachers such as Nazmi Ziya Güran, Feyhaman Duran, Leopold Levy and Zeki Kocamemi. Primarily focusing on painting and sculpture, he also created works using techniques like miniature, ceramic, and fresco. He cofounded The Newcomers Group which followed social realist tenets. He also joined the “Homeland Tours” organized by the Republican People’s Party between 1938 and 1944. Obtaining a scholarship from the French government in 1947, Turan traveled to Paris and worked in the ateliers of various artists practicing abstract art. Gravitating towards the abstract afterwards, Turan used Eastern art and calligraphy in his works, creating an original style further enriched by visual elements from Anatolian culture.