Turan Erol

Turan Erol was born in Milas in 1927. He graduated from the atelier of Bedri Rahmi Eyüpoğlu at the Painting Department of Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts in 1951. He was one of the founding members of the Group of Ten, a group of young artists who were eager to connect modern art with Turkish visual culture and the broader Turkish public. He received a scholarship from the French government and learned etching at the Friedlandde’s atelier in Paris. He had taught at Gazi University in 1963-73. He received the title of Associate Professor in 1978. He retired from University in 1990 and has been continuing his painting work at his ateliers in Istanbul, Ankara and Bodrum. He has had many exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions. He won the first prize from the exhibition of the State Painting and Sculpture in 1968; the prize of “Atatürk and Republic” which was held by Turkish Ministry of Culture in 1973; the prize of Sedat Vakfı Visual Arts in 1980. He published many books.
As he developed an increasingly expressionist style, he retained a concern for reflecting social realities of life in rural and urban settings in his work. While his early works often feature rural subjects, during the 1970s he examined the forms created by rapid urbanization and the appearance of squatter settlements around major cities like Ankara. During the late 1970s and 1980s, his interest in social issues and nature converged in works that explored issues of energy resources, production, and distribution.
(Reference: Modern Experiences 2007-2008 Permanent Exhibition, Istanbul: Istanbul Modern, 2007, p.282-289.)