Prof. Uğur Derman

Prof. Uğur Derman was born in Bandırma in 1935 and finished Haydarpaşa High School. In 1960, he graduated from the School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Medicine at Istanbul University. While he was a student, Derman learned calligraphy from famous calligraphers such as Necimeddin Okyay, Mahir İz, Dr. Süheyl Ünver, Halim Özyazıcı and Macid Ayral. After working as a pharmacist between 1963 and 1978, Derman served as a director in the Türk Petrol Foundation between 1977 and 2006, and as an art advisor in IRCICA (Research Centre for Islam History, Art and Culture) between 1980 and 1999. Since 1961, Derman has taught and introduced Turkish Book Arts. He has attended numerous conferences and symposiums in Turkey and abroad, and read his papers on Turkish Book Arts. He has published 25 books and over 450 articles in magazines and encyclopedia, including Türk Ansiklopedisi, TDV and Islam Ansiklopedisi. In 1997, Derman received a title of honorary professor from a senator of Mimar Sinan University and was accepted at the academic position of the same University. In 2009, Derman was awarded Grand Prize for Culture and Art by the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.

Selected publications:
Türk Sanatında Ebru (Istanbul: 1977 )
Türk Hat Sanatının Şaheserleri (Istanbul: 1982)
Fennü’l-Hat (Istanbul: 1990)
İslam Kültür Mirasında Hat Sanatı (Istanbul: 1992)
Islam Shodo (Tokyo: 1996 )
Letters in Gold  (New York: 1998 )
The Art of Calligraphy in the Islamic Heritage (Istanbul: 1998) 
Calligraphies Ottomanes (Paris: 2000 )
Seni Khat Warisan Islam  (Kuala Lumpur: 2000 )
Siegel des Sultans (Berlin: 2001)
The Sultan’s Signature (Berlin: 2001)
Sabancı Müzesi Hat Koleksiyonundan Seçmeler (Istanbul: 2002)
Eternal Letters  (Sharjah: 2009)
Murakka’-ı Hâs (Istanbul: 2009)