Zühtü Müridoğlu (26 January 1906 – 21 August 1992) was a Turkish sculptor and one of the first sculptors of the Republican generation. He attended the Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi, and was a student of

İhsan Özsoy Ihsan (also transliterated as Ehsan; Arabic, Persian and or , ) is an Arabic masculine given name. Given name ; Ihsan * İhsan Oktay Anar (born 1960), Turkish writer * İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil (1908–1993), Turkish politician * Ihsan Danish (1 ...

, there from 1924 to 1928. Graduating at the end of that period, he earned a scholarship to Europe and went to Paris, France. He studied art history at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

and aesthetic lessons at Sorbonne. After returning to Turkey, he worked as a teacher from 1932 to 1936. He was one of the founders of the artists collective called ''

D Grubu The D Grubu (English: ''Group D'') is an artist collective founded in Istanbul, Turkey in 1933 by five painters (Zeki Faik İzer, Nurullah Berk, Elif Naci, Cemal Tollu, Abidin Dino) and one sculptor (Zühtü Müridoğlu). The group is considered T ...

'' ("D Group"). In 1936, he worked at the

Istanbul Archaeological Museum The Istanbul Archaeology Museums () are a group of three archaeological museums located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace. These museums house over one million objects from nearly all periods an ...

as a sculptor. In 1939, he taught at the ''Ankara Gazi Eğitim Enstisüsü'', and later at the Fine Arts Institute in Istanbul. After staying in Paris again from 1947 to 1949, he came back to the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, and started to teach in his own atelier. In 1955, he opened the ''Ağaç Uygulama Atölyesi'', and became a professor in 1969. In 1971, he retired, however, continued to participate for a long time. Later, he won the ''Sedat Simavi Vakfı'' award in 1977, and ''Atatürk Sanat Armağanı'' Award in 1981. He opened his first personal exhibition in 1932, which focused on monument design. After 1953, he moved more in the abstract direction. He used many materials collected from nature, such as tree branches. After 1975, he returned to his original style. Müridoğlu was among the contributors of the cultural magazine ''

Yeni Adam ''Yeni Adam'' () was a cultural magazine which was published in Istanbul, Turkey, between 1934 and 1979 with some interruptions. It was one of the publications which were started to support the policies and ideas of the newly founded Republic of ...

''.

Notable works

* Barbaros Monument (1942), in collaboration with Ali Hadi Bara *Zonguldak Mounted Atatürk and İnönü Monuments (1946) *Man head, located at the Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum *Sitting woman *Low Reliefs at the

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 ...

(1953) *Copper Reliefs at the

and Istanbul Painting and Sculpture Museum *''Yaşamak'', tree *ikizler *Büyükada Atatürk Monument (1965) *Muş Atatürk Monument (1965)

Sources

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muridoglu, Zuhtu 1906 births Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul alumni Turkish schoolteachers Turkish male sculptors 20th-century Turkish sculptors Academic staff of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University 1992 deaths D Grubu