Hedi Turki
Hedi Turki | |
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Hedi Turki (15 May 1922 – 31 March 2019) was a Tunisian artist of Turkish origin. He is considered to have been the pioneering force of abstract painting in Tunisia and was an influential member of the School of Tunis.[1] His younger brother was Zoubeir Turki, who died in 2009.
Biography
Turki was born in 1922 in Tunis to a family of Turkish origin.[1] His grandfather, Hacı Hamid Semerci, immigrated from Turkey to Tunisia in 1870 as an Ottoman army major.[2] Turki attended his primary education from 1928 to 1936, then went to the Sadiki College, before going to the Lycée Carnot between 1936 and 1940. He abandoned his studies after the death of his father, Mustapha, in 1939, in order to support his family as he was the eldest of seven brothers. He worked in numerous odd jobs such as an apprentice tailor, clerk, and laborer in oil mill. He married Jamila Skhiri in 1948 after the death of his mother in 1945.[1]
He began to learn the principles of pictorial art, self-taught, and then joined the School of Tunis. In 1951 he completed a refresher course of two months in
Turki was instrumental in the founding of the School of Tunis,
Hedi Turki died on March 31, 2019, aged 96.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Toute la Tunisie. "Hédi Turki". Archived from the original on 2013-07-27. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ Today's Zaman. "Turks in northern Africa yearn for Ottoman ancestors". Archived from the original on 2011-03-13. Retrieved 2012-03-18.