Kenan Yontunç (1904–1995) was a
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
* Something related to Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire
* The w ...
sculptor.
Life
Ahmet Kenan Yontunç was born in
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
in 1904. He studied in the Sanayi'i Nefise Academy (later renamed
Mimar Sinan University
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University (, or MSGSÜ) is a public university, public Art school, art university in Istanbul, Turkey. The university's campus is located in the Fındıklı, Beyoğlu, Fındıklı, Beyoğlu. The university was established ...
) and in 1923 travelled to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
for further studies. He then returned to Istanbul and in 1930 he was appointed as an art teacher. In 1940 he was promoted to the rank of professor. When surname became compulsory in 1934 by the
Surname Law
The Surname Law () of the Republic of Turkey is a law adopted on 21 June 1934, requiring all citizens of Turkey to adopt the use of fixed, hereditary surnames. Prior to 1934, Turkish families in the major urban centres had names by which they were ...
, he chose the name Yontunç ("sculptor").
He was married to Feriha, the daughter of
Kâzım Sevüktekin
Kâzım Sevüktekin (1877 – 1 April 1949) was an officer of the Ottoman Army and the general of the Turkish Army, a politician of the Republic of Turkey.Türk Parlamento Tarihi Araştırma Grubu, ''Türk Parlamento Tarihi, III. Dönem 1927– ...
, a general of the
Turkish War of Independence
, strength1 = May 1919: 35,000November 1920: 86,000Turkish General Staff, ''Türk İstiklal Harbinde Batı Cephesi'', Edition II, Part 2, Ankara 1999, p. 225August 1922: 271,000Celâl Erikan, Rıdvan Akın: ''Kurtuluş Savaşı tarih ...
.
Works
In 1927 he created his first
bust, a bust of
Atatürk, the founder of
Turkish Republic Turkish Republic may refer to:
* Turkey, archaically the "Turkish Republic"
* Northern Cyprus
Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the ...
. He continued to create other sculptures of Atatürk. He was specialized in Atatürk sculptures and busts, partially because he was an acquaintance of Atatürk. In many Turkish cities such as
Amasya
Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol ...
,
TekirdaÄŸ
Tekirdağ () is a city in northwestern Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. The city forms the urban part of the Süleymanpaşa district, with a population of 186,421 in 2022.
TekirdaÄŸ ...
,
Kırklareli
Kırklareli () is a city in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. It is the seat of Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District.[Çorum
Çorum () is a northern Anatolian city in Turkey. Çorum is located inland in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey and is approximately from Ankara and from Istanbul. It is the seat of Çorum Province and of Çorum District.][< ...]
,
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
,
Silifke
Silifke is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mersin Province, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,692 km2, and its population is 132,665 (2022). It is west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of the Çukurova plain.
...
,
Elazığ
Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. Founded in and around the former city of Harput, it is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plai ...
,
Isparta
Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.[Ä°l ...]
,
Kastamonu
Kastamonu, formerly Kastamone/Castamone () and Kastamon/Castamon (), is a city in northern Turkey. It is the seat of Kastamonu Province and Kastamonu District. ,
Mersin
Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...
,
Kayseri
Kayseri () is a large List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. Historically known as Caesarea (Mazaca), Caesarea, it has been the historical capital of Cappadocia since anc ...
and
Tarsus the Atatürk monuments in the main meeting squares of the city have been created by Yontunç. One of his most notable busts is Atatürk's mask created just after the death of Atatürk in 1938. This mask became very popular and copies of it were sold nationwide.
In the 1940s, he also created a number of sculptures of
İsmet İnönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü (24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the second List of Presidents of Turkey, president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its Prime Minister of Turkey, pr ...
the second president of Turkey. In 1950s during the construction of
Anıtkabir
Anıtkabir (; ) is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and ...
, he created both the reliefs and the dais.
Trivia
Fashion designer, Eda Taşpınar is Kenan Yontunç's grand-granddaughter.
Radikal newspaper article
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yontunc, Kenan
1904 births
1995 deaths
Artists from Istanbul
Turkish male sculptors
20th-century Turkish sculptors
20th-century sculptors