Gürdal Duyar

Gürdal Duyar (20 August 1935 – 18 April 2004) was a Turkish sculptor who is known for his monuments to Atatürk and his busts of famous people. His art is characterized as having a modern expressionist style that is balanced with abstraction. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern figurative sculpture in Turkey. Duyar was also a painter and is noted for his sketches, but his best-known works are the public sculptures placed in Istanbul's parks and public squares.

Duyar was a student of Rudolf Belling and Ali Hadi Bara at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. After graduating, he spent some time abroad. At the start of his career as a freelance artist, Duyar worked on sculpture, especially busts, in Belgium, France and Switzerland. He later returned to Turkey, where he became known for his Atatürk monuments, including his Uşak Atatürk Monument (1965). He made several more Atatürk monuments in Turkey and held the first exhibition of his work in 1968.

Late in his career, many of Duyar's sculptures were damaged, removed or lost; these include the controversial 1974 removal of Güzel İstanbul. Duyar was a member of the joined the Turkish High Sculptors Society and was commissioned for several works; these include the Borazan İsmail Monument (1972), Kayseri Atatürk Monument (1974) and Âşık Seyrani Monument (1976). Duyar exhibited his sculptures and paintings, both individually and alongside other artists. His later major sculptures are Şairler Sofası (1998), Abdi İpekçi Peace Monument (2000) and Necati Cumalı (2002), and many of his busts that can be found in Sanatçılar Park. Duyar died in 2004 in Istanbul at age 69.