502.We are visiting the house of painter and writer Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu at our Art Meeting.

Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, one of the most original names in the Turkish painting and literary world, was born in 1911 in Görele. His interest in art started thanks to his teacher Zeki Kocamemi at Trabzon High School. His horizons were broadened with the art books sent by his older brother Sabahattin Eyüboğlu, who was educated in Paris. in 1929, he entered the State Academy of Fine Arts and became a student of Nazmi Ziya Güran and Ibrahim Çallı. in 1931, he went to Paris to study French and deepen his art education. During this period, he was interested in art history, influenced by romantic and post-impressionist artists; the influence of Cézanne in particular became apparent.

in 1932, he briefly attended the André Lhote Workshop, where he met the Romanian-born artist Eren Eyüboğlu (Ernestine Letoni), who would become his future wife. in 1933, he went to London and returned to Turkey at the end of the year. in 1934, he started working as a painter for the New Man magazine and joined the d Group the same year. in 1935, he opened his first solo exhibition in Bucharest. in 1936, he married Eren Eyüboğlu, and in 1937 he took a position at the Academy of Fine Arts as an assistant to Leopold Levy. He attracted attention with his works that brought color and stain to the forefront; He won awards by participating in State Painting and Sculpture Exhibitions.

Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, who has been productive not only in the fields of painting but also poetry, essays and translation throughout his artistic life, has developed an original approach based on the East-West synthesis in his art by blending elements of folk literature and folk art with Western education. He produced works with many techniques such as writing, engraving, ceramics, sculpture, stained glass, mosaic, calligraphy, screen printing and lithography. He moved away from the traditional oil painting technique, also using unusual materials such as plastic glue, sand, sawdust and Japanese paper. since the 1940s, he has defended the unity of architecture and art; he painted murals in many cities.

the “Blue Anatolia” journeys they started in 1945 together with names such as Azra Erhat and Sebahattin Eyüboğlu reinforced their deep interest in Anatolian cultures and their understanding of humanist art. Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, who brought traditional elements such as Anatolian rugs, Islamic calligraphy and Byzantine mosaics to a contemporary interpretation, passed away in 1975.

The artist's house in the Fenerbahce neighborhood of Kadikoy, where he lived for many years and produced his works, was designed by Turgut Cansever, one of the leading figures of Turkish architecture, in 1958. This building, which bears the architectural features of the Republican period, was registered as a “cultural asset required to be protected” in 2009. in the zoning plan made in 2014, the Eyüboğlu family filed an objection to staying in the road area and the house was taken into the protection area by the decision of the Istanbul Regional Council for the Protection of Cultural Assets numbered V.

Today, in this special place, which continues its function as the ”Blue Turtle Art House", the life of the Eyüboğlu family intertwined with art and the traditional art of writing continue to be kept alive. On the path opened by Bedri Rahmi and Eren Eyüboğlu, who interpreted writing, one of the deep-rooted cultures of Anatolia, with a modern approach; their son Mehmet Eyüboğlu continued this tradition and produced manuscripts that he developed with carving technique throughout his life. After Mehmet Eyüboğlu's death, this precious legacy is kept alive by his wife Hughette Eyüboğlu and his daughter-in-law Sibel Eyüboğlu.

Handmade manuscripts produced in this house, where the artist's workshop is also located, go beyond traditional forms such as hijab, yemeni, and add aesthetic value to everyday life in many areas of use such as tablecloths, loincloths, and dresses. This art is brought together with new generations with the “Traditional Writing Festivals” held at the Blue Turtle Art House on the first weekend of June every year. We will visit the house of Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu accompanied by his granddaughter Rahmi Eyüboğlu.

*Our art meetings are free for our members, 500 TL for guests and 250 TL for children under the age of 12. For your guests, we ask that they be deposited as a donation to our association account before the trip. 

Tuesday April 15th

12:00-13:00

Address: Fenerbahce, Bedri Rahmi Eyuboglu Street No:8 Kalamis 

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