Nurullah Berk

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Nurullah Berk (March 22, 1906 – January 9, 1982) was a Turkish painter, writer and teacher who helped introduce cubism and constructivism to Turkey. After studying at Galatasaray High School and Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi (now Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University), he studied in Paris at École des Beaux-Arts with Ernest Laurent and André Lhote, returning to Istanbul in 1928. He and friends formed the Union of Independent Painters and Sculptors, and later, with Abidin Dino and others, led Group D, a movement that pushed cubism and constructivism and helped create a Turkish artistic identity.

In 1939 Berk joined the İstanbul Art Academy, and in 1962 he became the director of the State Art and Sculpture Museum. Between 1932 and 1977 he published 15 books on painting and modern art. His best-known paintings include Still Life with Playing Cards, Woman Ironing, The Tailor, The Concubine and Thorns. He was married to Münevver (Andaç), Nazım Hikmet's cousin, with whom he had a daughter; after their divorce he married Efser and had another daughter. He died in Istanbul in 1982 and was buried in Heybeliada Cemetery.