State Artist ( tr, Devlet Sanatçısı, also sometimes translated as "National Artist") is an

honorary title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

granted to prominent

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

s by the government of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

for their contributions to the

Turkish culture The culture of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Kültürü) combines a heavily diverse and heterogeneous set of elements that have been derived from the various cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Europe, Caucasia, Middle East and Central Asia ...

. It was established in 1971 by the

President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the government of Tu ...

(

Cevdet Sunay Cevdet Sunay (; 10 February 1899 – 22 May 1982) was a Turkish politician and army officer, who served as the fifth President of Turkey from 1966 to 1973. Early life and career Sunay was born in 1899 in Trabzon, in the Ottoman Empire. A ...

) and the Minister of Culture and Tourism. The award is issued for people occupied in various categories of arts: music, dance, theatre, photography, cinema, visual arts, literature, etc.

List of State Artists

By year, according to the list by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.State Artists
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501204122/http://www.discoverturkey.com/haberler/haberler-sanatcilar.html , date=2008-05-01

1971

* Adnan Saygun, composer *

Necil Kazım Akses Necil Kazım Akses (May 6, 1908 – February 16, 1999) was a Turkish classical composer. Life Akses studied music and composition at the Musikakademie in Vienna with Joseph Marx and at the Prague Conservatory in Prague with Josef Suk and A ...

, composer *

Ulvi Cemal Erkin Ulvi Cemal Erkin () (March 14, 1906 – September 15, 1972) was a member of the pioneer group of symphonic composers in Turkey, born in the period 1904–1910, who later came to be called The Turkish Five. These composers set out the direction of ...

, composer *

Mithat Fenmen Mithat is a variant of the Arabic name Midhat given name for males. People named Mithat include: * Mithat Bayrak, Turkish sport wrestler * Mithat Demirel Mithat Demirel (born 10 May 1978) is a German former professional basketball player of Turk ...

, composer *

İlhan Usmanbaş İlhan Usmanbaş (born 23 October 1921) is a Turkish contemporary classical composer. Born in Istanbul, Usmanbaş grew up in Ayvalık. When he was twelve years old, his elder brother gave him a cello, and İlhan began to teach himself to play. A ...

, composer * Gülay Uğurata, pianist *

İdil Biret İdil Biret (born 21 November 1941) is a Turkish concert pianist. Education Biret began her lessons at the age of five with , who had studied under Nadia Boulanger and Alfred Cortot. When she was seven, the Turkish parliament enacted a special ...

, pianist *

Suna Kan Suna may refer to: People *Suuna I of Buganda, king of Buganda until 1609 *Suna II of Buganda, king of Buganda from 1836 until 1856 *Suna Kan (born 1936), Turkish violinist of classical music * Suna Kıraç (1941–2020), member of the Turkish Ko� ...

, violinist * Ayla Erduran, violinist * Ayşegül Sarıca, pianist *

Verda Erman Verda Erman (19 December 1944 – 21 July 2014) was a Turkish pianist. Born in Istanbul in 1944, she began her career at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. In 1957, she was sent to study at the Conservatoire de Paris under Turkish law no. 666 ...

, pianist

1981

* Nevid Kodallı, composer *

Cemal Reşit Rey Cemal Reşit Rey (; 25 October 1904 – 7 October 1985) was a Turkish composer, pianist, script writer and conductor. He was well known for a string of successful and popular Turkish-language operettas for which his brother Ekrem Reşit Rey (1 ...

, composer *

Hikmet Şimşek Hikmet Şimşek (1924, Pervari – 12 October 2001, Ankara) was a Turkish conductor of Western classical music. Life His father was an officer. He was born in Pervari (of Siirt Province). But the family soon moved to Konya. In 1936, he attended t ...

, conductor *

Gürer Aykal Gürer Aykal (born May 22, 1942) is a Turkish conductor and adjunct professor at Bilkent University. He has been the musical director and principal conductor of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999. Education Aykal was born in ...

, conductor *

İsmail Aşan Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

, violinist *

Tunç Ünver Tunç is a Turkish name and may refer to: Given name * Tunç Başaran (1938–2019), Turkish screenwriter * Tunç Erem (born 1938), Turkish academic * Tunç Hamarat (born 1946), Turkish chess player * Tunch Ilkin (1957-2021), Turkish player of Am ...

, violinist *

Cüneyt Gökçer Cüneyt () is the Turkish spelling of Arabic masculine given name Junayd (Arabic: جُنَيْد ''junayd'') meaning "soldier, warrior". People named Cüneyt include: * Cüneyt Arkın, Turkish film actor * Cüneyt Bey of Aydın, Turkish bey * C ...

, actor *

Yıldız Kenter Ayşe Yıldız Kenter (11 October 1928 – 17 November 2019) was a Turkish actress and lecturer, who was of English descent from her maternal side. Kenter was also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Early years Ayşe Yıldız Kenter was born to diplo ...

, actress *

Meriç Sümen Meriç Sümen (born 25 May 1943) is a Turkish former ballerina and a choreographer. Life Meriç Sümen was born at Silivri, Turkey in 1943. She completed the ballet section of Ankara State Conservatory in 1961. She began a dancing career in the A ...

, ballet dancer *

Suna Korad Suna may refer to: People *Suuna I of Buganda, king of Buganda until 1609 *Suna II of Buganda, king of Buganda from 1836 until 1856 *Suna Kan (born 1936), Turkish violinist of classical music *Suna Kıraç (1941–2020), member of the Turkish Koç ...

, opera singer

1987

Nevzat Atlığ Nevzat is a Turkish given name for males. People named Nevzat include: *Nevzat Ayaz Nevzat Ayaz (born 1930, Çankırı) is a former Turkish civil servant and True Path Party politician. He was governor of Istanbul Province from 1979 to 1988. He ...

, choir conductor *

Ayhan Baran Ayhan is a Turkish masculine name and a family name. Ayhan means the moon king . Given name * Ayhan Akman (born 1977), Turkish footballer * Ayhan Aydan (1924–2009) Turkish opera singer * Ayhan Gezen (born 1972), Turkish-German footballer * Ayh ...

, opera singer * Vasfi Rıza Zobu, actor *

Bedia Muvahhit Bedia Muvahhit (born Emine Bedia Şekip; 1896 – 20 January 1994) was a Turkish stage and movie actress. She is remembered as one of the first Muslim movie actresses in Turkey debuting in 1923. Personal life She was born in 1896 to Şekip Bey, ...

, actress * Mükerrem Berk, flutist *

Gülsin Onay Gülsin Onay (born 12 September 1954) is a leading Turkish concert pianist of German descent, based in Cambridge, England. Education Born into a musical family, Gülsin Onay began to play the piano at the age of three. Her first teacher was her ...

, pianist *

Ayten Gökçer Ayten or Aytən is a Turkish given name for females. People named Ayten include: * Ayten Akyol, Turkish beauty queen * Ayten Alpman (1929–2012), Turkish singer *Ayten Amer (born 1981), Egyptian actress *Ayten Amin (born 1978), Egyptian film di ...

, actress

1988

* Aydın Gün, opera singer *

Leyla Gencer Ayşe Leyla Gencer (, née Çeyrekgil; 10 October 192810 May 2008) was a Turkish operatic soprano. Gencer was a notable ''bel canto'' soprano who spent most of her career in Italy, from the early 1950s through the mid-1980s, and had a reperto ...

, opera singer

1991

Necdet Yaşar Necdet Yaşar (; 1930 - October 24, 2017) was a Turkish ''tanbur'' lute player and teacher. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice a ...

, classical Turkish musician * İsmail Baha Sürelsan, classical Turkish musician * Alaattin Yavaşça, classical Turkish musician *

Zeki Müren Zeki Müren (; 6 December 1931 – 24 September 1996) was a Turkish singer, composer, songwriter, actor and poet. Known by the nicknames "The Sun of Art" and "Pasha", he was one of the prominent figures of the Ottoman classical music, Turkish cla ...

, classical Turkish musician * Teoman Önaldı, classical Turkish musician * Yesari Asım Arsoy, classical Turkish musician * Sadi Yaver Ataman, Turkish folk musician * Nida Tüfekçi, Turkish folk musician * Mustafa Geceyatmaz, Turkish folk musician * Mustafa Turan, folk dances *

Barış Manço Mehmet Barış Manço (born Tosun Yusuf Mehmet Barış Manço; 2 January 1943 – 1 February 1999), better known by his stage name Barış Manço, was a Turkish rock musician, singer, composer, actor, television producer and show host. Beg ...

, pop music *

Hüseyin Sermet Hüseyin Sermet (born in Istanbul, 1955) is a Turkish pianist and composer.Hüseyin Sermet.
hexagone.ne ...

, pianist *

Güher Pekinel Güher Pekinel and Süher Pekinel (born March 29, 1951, Istanbul) are twin Turkish pianists performing mostly in duet. The Pekinels are among the world's most well known piano duos.Jean-Pierre Thiollet, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', « Solo de d ...

, pianist * Süher Pekinel, pianist * Okan Demiriş, opera singer * Mete Uğur, opera singer * Macide Tanır, actress * Bozkurt Kuruç, actor * Osman F. Seden, film director *

Türkan Şoray Türkan Şoray (; born 28 June 1945) is a Turkish actress, writer and film director of Circassian origin. She is known as "Sultan" of the Cinema of Turkey. She started her career in 1960, and won her first award as the most successful actress a ...

, film actress *

Hülya Koçyiğit Hülya Koçyiğit (born 12 December 1947) is a Turkish actress. A prominent female lead in the Turkish cinema, she received numerous awards at international film festivals, including the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. Altogether, she has ...

, film actress *

Orhan Şaik Gökyay Orhan Şaik Gökyay, (born 16 July 1902, İnebolu – 2 December 1994), was a Turkic peoples, Turkish literature history and language researcher, poet, teacher. Biography He was born on 16 July 1902 in İnebolu, where his father worked as a ...

, poet *

Tarık Buğra Süleyman Tarık Buğra (2 September 1918 – 26 February 1994) was a Turkish journalist, novelist and short story author. He was well-known author at Republican literature in his country. He was honoured as a State Artist in 1991. Buğra is the ...

, writer *

Attila İlhan Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central Europe ...

, writer * Ali Avni Çelebi, painter *

Sabri Berkel Sabri Fetah Berkel (1907–1993) was a Turkish-Albanian modernist painter; he was one of the most important painters and academic personalities of the last century in Turkey. Berkel was born in Skopje, where, in 1927, he completed high school at a ...

, painter * Turan Erol, painter * Devrim Erbil, painter *

Hüseyin Arıkan Özkan Hussein, Hussain, Hossein, Hossain, Huseyn, Husayn, Husein or Husain (; ar, حُسَيْن ), coming from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-S-i-N ( ar, ح س ی ن, link=no), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hassan (given name), Hassa ...

, sculptor * Sadi Diren, ceramic art

1998

Müzeyyen Senar Müzeyyen Senar (; 16 July 1918 – 8 February 2015) was a Turkish classical music performer, known as the "''Diva of the Republic''". Early years Müzeyyen Dombayoğlu was born in 1918 in the village of Gököz, in Keles district of Bursa Pr ...

* Mehveş Emeç * Şefika Kutluer *

Tekin Akmansoy Tekin may refer to: Given name * Tekin Alp, Turkish politician * Tekin Arıburun, Turkish soldier and statesman * Tekin Bingöl, Turkish politician * Tekin Dereli, Turkish theoretical physicist * Tekin Kurtuluş, German actor * Tekin Okan Dü ...

Muazzez Abacı Hicran Muazzez Abacı (; born November 12, 1947) is a Turkish singer. Trained in Turkish classical music, she has achieved considerable popular success in the Turkish Classical Music genre.''Rough Guide to World Music: Africa, Europe and the Mid ...

Metin Akpınar Metin Akpınar (born 2 November 1941) is a Turkish actor. He has been one of the most successful comedians in Turkey. Biography He was born in Aksaray, Istanbul, and he graduated from Pertevniyal High School. He pursued his university career in ...

* İzzet Altınmeşe * Selmi Andak *

Avni Anıl Avni may refer to: Given name * Avni Arbaş (1919–2003), Turkish artist * Avni bej Delvina, a signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence * Avni Klinaku (born 1965), Albanian politician and nationalist * Avni Mula (1928–2020), Albania ...

Nezihe Araz Fatma Nezihe Araz (11 May 1920 – 25 July 2009) was a Turkish writer and journalist. In addition to her 1959 best seller on the saints of Anatolia, she wrote several plays for television and the stage as well as three books about Atatürk. Ea ...

* Muzaffer Arıkan * Orhan Asena * Semih Balcıoğlu *

Recep Bilginer Recep may refer to: People Surname * Aziz Recep (born 1992), German-Greek footballer * Sibel Recep (born 1987), Swedish pop singer Given name * Recep Adanır (born 1929), Turkish footballer * Recep Akdağ (born 1960), Turkish physician and poli ...

* Ali Can * Koral Çalgan *

İnci Çayırlı İnci is a Turkish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arman İnci (born 1991), Turkish-German actor * Nazlıcan İnci (born 2000), Turkish badminton player See also

* İnci Sözlük, Turkish interactive dictionary {{DEFAULTS ...

* Merih Çimenciler * Ali Doğan *

Haldun Dormen Ahmet Haldun Dormen (born 5 April 1928) is a Turkish theater, movie and TV series actor and film director. Dormen is of Turkish Cypriot descent. Biography His father Sait Ömer Bey was a Cypriot businessman, while his mother Nimet Rüşt� ...

* Armağan Elçi *

Erol Erdinç Erol Erdinç (born 30 November 1945) is a Turkish Conductor (music), conductor of classical music, composer, pianist and educator. Early life and education Erol Erdinç started out studying composition with Ahmet Adnan Saygun and piano with T. Ç ...

* Özdemir Erdoğan *

Musa Eroğlu Musa Eroğlu (born 1946) is a Turkish folk musician and bağlama virtuoso. He was born in the Mut county district of Mersin. He is a Tahtacı. He completed his secondary education in Mut. He then started to perform Turkish folk dance and music. I ...

Muazzez Ersoy Hatice Yıldız Levent, better known by her stage name Muazzez Ersoy, (born 9 August 1958) is a Turkish classical music singer. In 1998, with the suggestion of the 33rd government of Turkey's Ministry of Culture, she was chosen as a State Arti ...

* Semiha Berksoy *

Zeki Alasya Zeki Alasya (18 April 1943 – 8 May 2015) was a Turkish actor and film director. Alasya was of Turkish Cypriot descent and was related to Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha. Biography Alasya was born in Istanbul. After studying at Robert College, ...

* Mengü Ertel *

Orhan Gencebay Orhan Gencebay (born Orhan Kencebay, 4 August 1944) is a Turkish musician, bağlama virtuoso, composer, singer, arranger, music producer, music director, and actor. Gencebay was born in the coastal town of Samsun on 4 August 1944. He is of Crim ...

* Nurşen Girginkoç *

Rengim Gökmen Rengim Gokmen (born August 19, 1955, Ankara) is a Turkish conductor. He is a music man who held important positions in classical music life of Turkey. He was the General Director of Turkish State Opera and Ballet between 1992-1995 and 2007-20 ...

* Ruşen Güneş * Fahrettin Güven * Nedret Güvenç *

Fikret Hakan Fikret Hakan (born Bumin Gaffar Çitanak; 23 April 1934 – 11 July 2017) was a prolific Turkish film actor and a recipient of the honorary State Artist, a title awarded by the Turkish government. Hakan was born as Bumin Gaffar Çitanak in 1934 to ...

* Selahattin İçli *

Selim İleri Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin *Salim (poet) (1800–1866) *Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an eth ...

Çolpan İlhan Çolpan İlhan (8 August 1936 – 25 July 2014) was a Turkish cinema and theatre actress. In 1998 she was awarded the title of State Artist of Turkey. She acted in more than 300 films and theater plays. First years İlhan received her sec ...

* Yekta Kara * Cemil Karababa *

Müşfik Kenter Müşfik Galip Kenter (9 September 1932 – 15 August 2012) was a Turkish theatre and voice actor. He was of English descent from his maternal side. Müşfik Kenter was born to diplomat Ahmet Naci Kenter and his wife Nadide, née Olga Cynthi ...

* Kayıhan Keskinok *

Levent Kırca Zeki Levent Kırca (September 28, 1950 – October 12, 2015) was a Turkish comedian, stage and film actor, columnist of the newspaper '' Aydınlık'' and politician of the left-wing Patriotic Party ( tr, Vatan Partisi). Kırca was born in Samsu ...

* Atilla Manizade *

Yusuf Nalkesen Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name ...

* Tankut Öktem * Gazanfer Özcan *

Ahmet Özhan Ahmet Özhan (, born August 26, 1950) is a prominent Turkish classic music singer, conductor, and actor. Biography He started singing in Turkish clubs when he was about 18. He performed concerts all around Europe, the US, and the Middle East ...

Münir Özkul Münir Özkul (15 August 1925 – 5 January 2018) was a Turkish cinema and theatre actor. He has been awarded the title of "State Artist of Turkey". In 1972, he won a International Antalya Film Festival, Golden Orange Award for Best Actor for ...

* Sezen Cumhur Önal * Kutlu Payaslı *

Ajda Pekkan Ayşe Ajda Pekkan (; born 12 February 1946) is a Turkish singer. She is known by the title "superstar" in the Turkish media. Pekkan became a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with her songs, in which she tried to create a strong female figure. ...

Ali Poyrazoğlu ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

* Ozan Sağdıç * Mustafa Sağyaşar * Samime Sanay *

Emel Sayın Emel Sayın (born 20 November 1945) is a Turkish singer and actress. Life She was born in Şarkışla district of Sivas Province on 20 November 1945, to an Albanian father who immigrated from Skopje, and a mother from Mardin. Her parents moved ...

Timur Selçuk Timur Selçuk (2 July 1946 – 6 November 2020) was a Turkish composer, pianist, singer and conductor. Biography One of the greatest Turkish composers, Timur Selçuk was the son of Turkish neo-classical music composer Münir Nurettin Selçuk ...

* Nedret Selçuker *

Nesrin Sipahi Nesrin Akçan Sipahi (born 29 November 1934) is a Turkish singer of Crimean Tatar origin specialized on Turkish music. Life Nesrin Akçan was born to Yunus and Adile in Yeşilköy neighborhood of Bakırköy ilçe (district), Istanbul, Turke ...

Ferit Sidal Ferit is a Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Farid (Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in ...

Kamil Sönmez Kamil Sönmez (4 March 1947 – 20 December 2012) was a Turkish folk singer and actor. He is best known for his folk songs from the Black Sea Region of Turkey. In 1998, he received the title of "state artist". He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage ...

Muammer Sun Muammer Sun (15 October 1932 – 16 January 2021) was a Turkish composer of classical music. Biography Sun was born in Ankara. He entered the Military Band School in 1947 and the Ankara State Conservatory in 1953. He studied under Ahmet Adnan ...

Gülriz Sururi Gülruz Sururi (24 July 1929 – 31 December 2018) was a Turkish drama actress and author. She presented a TV cooking show and co-owned a theatre. Biography She was born in İstanbul, Turkey on 24 July 1929. Her father Lütfullah was the foun ...

Dinçer Sümer Dinçer is a surname of Turkish origin and may refer to: * Haluk Dinçer (born 1962), Turkish businessman * Kemal Dinçer (born 1963), Turkish basketball player * Ömer Dinçer (born 1956), Turkish politician * Semra Dinçer (1965-2021), Turki ...

Şener Şen Şener Şen (born 26 December 1941) is a Turkish film and theatre actor who has won the Golden Orange for Best Actor twice for his roles in '' Mr. Muhsin'' (1985) and '' Lovelorn'' (2005), the Golden Orange for Best Supporting Actor for '' Çö ...

Ziya Taşkent Ziya () is a Turkish given name for males and females, it is of Arabic origin, in Turkish ''Ziya'' means ''light''. Given name * Ziya Doğan, Turkish football manager * Ziya Gökalp, Turkish sociologist * Nazmi Ziya Güran, Turkish impressionist p ...

* Orhan Taylan *

Okay Temiz Okay Temiz (born 11 February 1939, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish fusion jazz percussionist and drummer. Biography Temiz was influenced in his early years by his mother, Naciye, who was classically schooled in music. Temiz started playing profe ...

* Zekai Tunca * Neriman Altındağ Tüfekçi *

Dilek Türker Dilek is a Turkish word meaning ''wish'', ''request'' or ''desire''. It is used as a feminine given name as well as a noun and may refer to: Given name * Dilek Akagün Yılmaz (born 1963), Turkish politician * Dilek Gürsoy (born 1976), German hear ...

Nejat Uygur Nejat Günhan Uygur (10 August 1927 – 18 November 2013) was a Turkish actor and comedian. Early years Nejat Uygur was born on 10 August 1927 as the second of three children to an officer father and teacher mother. He acted on stage alre ...

* Necdet Varol *

Gönül Yazar Gönül Yazar (born Mürşide Gönül Özyeğiner; 12 August 1936) is a Turkish singer and actress. In 1968 Yazar performed Marie Laforêt Marie Laforêt (born Maïtena Marie Brigitte Doumenach; 5 October 1939 – 2 November 2019) was a Fr ...

* Jale Yılmabaşar *

Nilüfer Yumlu Nilüfer is the Turkish word for " water lily", from Persian ''nilufar'' (نیلوفر), which is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word for the blue lotus, ''nīlotpala'' (नीलोत्पल). It is a popular feminine given name in Turk ...

Metin Yurdanur Metin Yurdanur (born 1951) is a sculptor based in Turkey, who was awarded the title State Artist of Turkey. Early years Yurdanur was born in 1951 in Sivrihisar town of Eskişehir Province in Turkey. He spent his childhood until high school in h ...

* Gülşen Tatu

References

1971 establishments in Turkey Lists of celebrities Honorary titles of Turkey