Süleyman Saim Tekcan

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Süleyman Saim Tekcan was born in 1940 in Trabzon. In 1961, he graduated from Ankara Gazi Education Institute, Department of Art Education. Tekcan worked as an educator at the Istanbul Atatürk Education Institute between 1968-1975 and established the school’s first printmaking studio. Tekcan, who went to Germany in 1970-71, conducted studies and extensive research on original printing and printmaking education. He established a studio at Istanbul Technical University between 1974-75 and worked here as an instructor. In 1974, he established his first private printmaking studio in Kuyubaşı. In 1975, he started to work as a faculty member at Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts, where established a screen-printing studio in the Graphics Department, and received his second undergraduate degree from the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (Mimar Sinan University) Painting Department and his Ph.D., also from the Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts.

In June 1977, he moved his studio to Söğütlüçeşme. On October 13, 1984, he opened the Artess Çamlıca Art House. As a result of long years of technical research and experimental studies, Süleyman Saim Tekcan developed the "wet printing" method. This technique, created by Tekcan, found a place among international art literature, under its own name, while currently the technique is widely known as the Süleyman Saim Tekcan technique all over the world. Tekcan became a Professor at the Academy in 1985 and was appointed as the Head of the Graphic Department's Main Art Subject Area the same year. In 1987, he gave a two-month printmaking seminar at Sarajevo Art Academy in Yugoslavia. In 1989, he ensured the establishment of Anatolian Fine Arts High Schools. In 1994-1995, he served as the Dean of Mimar Sinan University, while also serving as the Head of the Graphic Department. He founded the Yeditepe University Faculty of Fine Arts, which opened in Büyükada in 1996, and served as its Founding Dean during the first academic year. He founded IMOGA- The Istanbul Museum of Graphic Arts in 2004, as well as the Işık University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2007 where he continued as dean for 4 years. In 2008, he chaired the 1st International Printmaking Biennial. He is currently the Founding and Honorary Chairman of the IMOGA Board of Directors.

Check out the artist on imoga.org