Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu (1911-1975)
This is the story of a talented Turkish artist named Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu and his traces in the city. Eyüpoğlu was not only a painter but mosaics and ceramics artist, sculptor, writer and poet who also produced glassware and lithography. He was an artist that took his inspiration from the Turkish folk culture with its rich patterns and colours.
Eyüboğlu has left beautiful traces in different locations across İstanbul. If you ever visit Sirkeci, Karaköy, Unkapanı, Elmadağ or Nakkaştepe, pay close attention to Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu’s mosaic and ceramic compositions which are reminders of this talented artist’s vision for İstanbul.
Doğubank İş Hanı, Sirkeci
Manifaturacılar Çarşısı, Unkapanı
Manifaturacılar Çarşısı, Unkapanı
You can especially visit one of these places freely as it is a patisserie named Murat Muhallebicisi in which you can have a chance to observe one of Eyüboğlu’s mosaics from close up while you are savouring your coffee.
Murat Muhallebicisi, exterior, Karaköy
Murat Muhallebicisi, interior, Karaköy
Eyüboğlu’s ceramics composition in front of Vakko Building in Nakkaştepe
If you visit the Divan Hotel in Elmadağ, you can also get a chance to see one of his mosaics compositions from close up.
Ceramics composition in Divan Hotel, Elmadağ
Bedri Rahmi has also used Istanbul as a theme in his paintings. You can have a glimpse at his painting dedicated to Istanbul.
Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu’s İstanbul
Let me end with a final note on Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu. Eyüboğlu wrote a beautiful poem for his close friend Nazım Hikmet right after Nazım’s death. This beautiful song of grief was composed by Zülfü Livaneli. Let’s lend an ear to this beautiful song, the lyrics of which are Eyüboğlu’s!
Famous Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet (1902-1963)
Auto-portrait by the artist
