This institution was founded in 1884 by Albert Dubois-Pillet (commander of the Republican Guard) and the painters Odilon Redon, Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. Their masters were Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Camille Pissarro and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The present Salon has retained its independent vocation of the late 19th century, which still differentiates it from other exhibitions today.
Ali Oktay Gündoğdu, born in 1944, nourished by French culture, studied at the Saint-Joseph college/lycee in Istanbul between 1955 and 1962. At St. Joseph's, he became interested in caricature and his drawings were so popular that they were published in famous newspapers of the time (Hürriyet/ Hayat). He continued his studies at the Istanbul College of Fine Arts in the field of decorative arts.
Osman Ünver, Parodie artificielle, huile sur toile, 120 cm x 60 cm, 2022, Istanbul, Turquie.
After his military service, he worked for many years in the field of advertising for Roche, Manajans, Yaratım/FCB-PUBLİCİS. It was not until 1997 that he dedicated himself again to his first love: painting. The artist works mainly with oil paint, but will also develop with the help of his son Emre other techniques, such as 'batik', which is a fabric dyed by first applying a mixture of wax and paraffin.
İl does not like to describe or interpret his painting. He prefers to leave it to the specialists.
Osman Ünver, born in Istanbul in 1958, is an atypical painter mastering several techniques: drawing, charcoal, watercolour, oil painting, acrylic, gouache, mould printing, graphic design, sculpture. He likes to introduce a secret side in his works... The artist has worked in different artistic fields (sculptures, paintings, graphics, textiles, notably for 'the labels' of the Hermès house, handmade wooden jewellery/glasses for the jeweller Sevan Biçakçı etc.)
Encouraged from an early age by a family with a passion for the arts, at the age of 13 he sculpted a bust of "Tutankhamun" (the eleventh pharaoh of the 18th dynasty) in clay.
Having a free spirit, he creates his works from all art forms without being linked to any artistic movement. "I am actually more concerned with what art lovers can grasp from my work than with the object itself."
He adds, "I like people to appreciate my work done with love and passion. I try to explain through my work that happiness is shared and I know how to do that in 'pictures'." Painting makes him happy. For him, painting is a "whole". He likes to be noticed through his painting. His favourite colour is red, which gives his works a certain energy and serenity...
This year, thanks to the support of their French - speaking friend Mehmet Ali Hatemi, curator of exhibitions in Turkey and internationally, artistic advisor and lawyer, they will participate in the Salon with one work each.
Eloïse, Ébru FESLİ
cover image: Ali Oktay Gündoğdu, Un passé effacé, huile sur toile, 110 cm x 60 cm, 2022, İstanbul, Turquie.
