Turkish president calls renowned photographer Ara Güler to wish speedy recovery

ANKARA

Ara Güler was taken to Istanbul’s Şişli Memorial Hospital on Jan. 14. Hürriyet Photo

President Abdullah Gül called Ara Güler, Turkey’s peerless master of photography, to extend his get-well-soon wishes on Jan. 22 after the artist was taken to Istanbul’s Şişli Memorial Hospital on Jan. 14.

“Your voice sounds very good. Let’s wait, you will take many more photographs,” officials from the Presidency quoted Gül as telling Güler during their telephone conversation.

“Inshallah,” Güler said in response and thanked Gül for calling, according to the same officials.

Güler has been receiving treatment for a long time due to renal failure. Güler, 86, was moved Jan. 16 to the intensive care unit in the hospital because of labile blood pressure. According to a statement released by the hospital, Güler was expected to be moved to his room Jan. 17.

Born in 1928 in Istanbul, the Turkish-Armenian photographer is one of Turkey’s best-known artists internationally.

Güler has conducted hundreds of exhibitions of his work all over the globe. He has interviewed and photographed numerous celebrities, from Bertrand Russell and Winston Churchill, to Arnold Toynbee, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.

Many examples of Güler’s photography can be found in institutions such as the French National Library in Paris and the Sheldon Collection at Nebraska University, as well as in private collections in Boston, Chicago and New York. Besides many other awards, he was honored with the Culture and Arts Grand Award of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2011.