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Davut Bektaş was born in Adana in 1963. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Istanbul University in 1992. He started learning calligraphy when he was a high school student. After learning sülüs scripts from the master Yusuf Ergün (Erzincanî) for a short time in 1981, Bektaş continued learning sülüs, nesih and rik’a scripts from the master Hasan Çelebi, and obtained his professional license in 1994. Bektaş learned talik and divani scripts from Prof. Ali Alparslan. He also researched the works of famous calligraphers such as Sami Efendi and Hamid Bey, and developed his skills.
Bektaş has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Turkey and abroad. In the International Calligraphy Competitions, which were organized by IRCICA, he won first prize in the category of celi sülüs (1986), first prize in the category of celi sülüs (1989), and first prize in the category of sülüs (1993). In 1997, he received first prize in the First Islam World Calligraphy Festival, which was held in Tehran. In 2006, he was awarded with his panel in the Second International Arab Calligraphy Art Exhibition, which was held in the United Arab Emirates. His works can be seen in various collections in the world. Bektaş has served as a jury member in many international calligraphy competitions. Currently, he teaches at the Süleymaniye Library and the Traditional Turkish Arts Foundation in Istanbul.
Reference: kalemguzeli.org, sanattarihi.wordpress.com, istanbulunustalari.com, İstanbul’un Ustaları (Istanbul: İstanbul 2010 Avrupa Kültür Başkenti, 2010), p. 93.
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