Sotheby’s Turkish contemporary sale highlights Nejad Melih Devrim

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Nejad Melih Devrim’s ‘Abstract Composition’ is among the highlights of the sale that will be organized by Sotheby’s London on April 24-26.

Sotheby’s displayed yesterday a selection from its contemporary Turkish art sale, which is to be held in London on April 26 as part of Turkish and Islamic Week. The selection includes works by Taner Ceylan, Mehmet Güleryüz, Azade Köker, Ansen Atilla, Ramazan Bayrakoğlu, Ferit İşcan, Ali Teoman Germaner (Aloş), İhsan Cemal Karaburçak, Canan Tolon, Komet, Zeki Faik İzer, Haluk Akakçe and young artist Ayça Telgeren.

Comprising over 90 lots of a wide array of modern and contemporary works by leading Turkish artists, the sale spans a period from the 1950s to the present day. The sale is estimated to fetch in excess of 1.5 million euros.

An exceptionally rare painting by the Ecole de Paris master Nejad Melih Devrim, titled “Abstract Composition,” is among the highlights this year. After remaining in the artist’s personal collection for 35 years, it was acquired by a prominent collector in 1987 and has not been seen on the market since.

Among the largest works the artist ever painted and belonging to his most revered 1950s period, it is a true testament to Devrim’s mastery of creating the most arresting compositions and a collector’s item at its best. A further highlight in the sale is an early work by Fahrelnissa Zeid, who was among the first international female artists to exhibit at the prestigious Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in London in the late 1950s. “Untitled” is from a rare series the artist had created between 1950 and 1960 when she built her compositions with thick black lines and bold colors with African totemic inspirations.

The sale also includes a stunning photorealist painting, “Cage of Flesh,” by Taner Ceylan, an artist whose works are in leading private and public collections around the world. Other highlights in the sale are early paintings by Burhan Doğançay, whose works are in prestigious museums including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; a unique photograph by Ansen from his acclaimed “Guns of War Series;” an impressive work from Canan Tolon’s “Glitch Series;” and an exquisite embroidery work titled “Motorcycle” by Ramazan Bayrakoğlu, who is widely exhibited internationally. Finally, two remarkable works by Erol Akyavaş from 1960s are featured in the sale. Coming from an important international collection, these works have not come to auction for over forty years and belong to a very rare canon of works from the artist’s oeuvre.