Ara Güler
Ara Güler (Armenian Արա Կիւլեր; born August 16, 1928 in İstanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish photographer of Armenian descent. He is considered one of the most important photographers of Turkey.
Life and work
Güler was born to an Armenian family of pharmacists. Fascinated by cinema, he began his acting training at Muhsin Ertuğrul. The went on to study economics. He finally decided on a career as a photojournalist. His military service as a lieutenant made Güler from a company of motorized infantry battalion of the 3rd Armoured Brigade. Since 1950 he worked for the newspaper " Yeni İstanbul " ( "New Istanbul" ), later followed by work as a Middle East correspondent for international magazines such as Time-Life, Paris Match or The Star. In 1956, he met Henri Cartier Bresson and Marc Riboud. He was also a member of the Magnum Photos agency. After his military service he took over in 1961 the position of Chief of the photo editors of " Hayat " ( "Life "). International engagements in Japan, North America and Europe followed.
Ara Güler photographed with a Leica largely in black and white. Much of his images portrays his home town of Istanbul. Yet his focus is often on small details, the simple life and children. The autobiographical novel Istanbul - memory of a city of the Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk is illustrated with photographs Gülers; " Ara Gülers Istanbul is my Istanbul ," says Pamuk expressed. He also portrayed a variety of celebrities, including İsmet İnönü, Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, Maria Callas, Alfred Hitchcock, Salvador Dalí and Picasso. For his work he has won several awards: 1961 called it the " Photography Annual " as one of the seven best photographers in the world, 1962, he was voted " Master of the Leica ", he was from the Museum of Modern Art in 1968, New York at the "Ten masters of color photography "is selected, 1999, he received the Turkish award as " Photographer of the Century ". He photographed until today. Alongside he is named after a cafe near the Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul.
Exhibitions
- 2010: Group exhibition Istanbul. Collection Huma Kabakci. 60 years Turkish art. Between tradition and Povokation, Osthaus Museum Hagen, monks Museum Goslar
Works (selection)
- Ara Güler: Photographs, Istanbul, 1980.
- The Movie World of Ara Guler, Istanbul, 1989.
- The Sixth Continent, Ankara, 1991.
- Eski Istanbul Anilari, Istanbul, 1994.
- Yüzlerinde Yeryüzü, Istanbul, 1995.
- Röportaj, YGS Yayınları, Istanbul 2001. ISBN 975-7012-24-6.
- Istanbul ( with a foreword by Orhan Pamuk ), DuMont, Cologne 2010, ISBN 978-3-8321-9292-1.
- Istanbul - From the Point Hotel / Taksim collection. İlke Basin Yayım, Istanbul, 2013, ISBN 978-605-88813-0-3.