Yahia Turki
Yahia Turki, (born Yahia Ben Mahmoud El Hajjem (يحيى التركي) in 1903,Istanbul,
Biography
Born in Istanbul to a
Turki experienced his first success in 1923 in the Tunisian
On his return to Tunis in 1935, he exhibited a series of works with Parisian themes.[1] He was a member of the Groupe des Dix in 1947 and one of the founders of the École de Tunis (Tunisian School) in 1948.[3] In 1956, after Tunisian independence, he succeeded Pierre Boucherle as the president of the Tunisian School, a post he occupied until his death.[1] He also became the vice-president of the Tunisian salon.[1]
He made a great influence at younger artists who was eager to "reconcile Tunisian national identity within an inherited system of artistic practices". This concept of him easily can be traced in his works. Turki's architectural spaces, landscapes, still lives, and portraits depicted everyday life of Tunisia. In the 1950s he made a murals in the École d’Agriculture de Moghrane(Agricaultural School in Mograne).[3] Among his student were the likes of Abdelaziz ben Rais (1903-1962), Hatem El Mekki (1918-2003) and Ammar Farhat (1911-1986).
Some of his works have been sold at auction, including Femme en sefsari which was sold at Artcurial Orientalism in 2013 for $9,576.[4]
At age 52, Turki married a Tunisian, and had a daughter named Nazly.[2]
References
External sources
- Sheila S. Blair, eds. (2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, vol 1, 2 and 3. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 356.