Who was Abit Güner? (June 14, 1947, Trabzon – May 30, 2024, Trabzon)
A Turkish painter. Güner, who created works in still life, photorealism, and realism, is particularly known for his landscape paintings and still life paintings from the Black Sea region.
Abit Güner was born in Trabzon in 1947 and completed his education at Trabzon High School. Between 1972 and 1998, he lived in Germany, during which time he deeply researched and developed his painting skills. He held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in various galleries, especially in cities such as Hanau, Offenbach, and Frankfurt.
His time in Germany enriched his mastery of color and technique, while the relationships he established with Western European art circles broadened his creative perspective. After a certain period, Güner returned to his hometown of Trabzon, where he continued to reflect the colors of nature on canvas in his own studio.
Güner’s works are included in many private collections, institutions, and museums; His works have been appreciated by art lovers both domestically and internationally.
Throughout Güner’s creative life, his most prominent works have been still lifes and Black Sea landscapes. In his still lifes, the masterful use of tones in his palette offers the viewer a visual feast. His naive and sometimes fantastical approach to the landscapes, which bring the green, blue, and earthy colors of the Black Sea to the canvas, provides a sensory reality beyond the traditional understanding of landscape painting.
The artist, who dedicated a large part of his life to nature and colors, sometimes used both realist and hyperrealistic approaches together in his works. In this respect, he blurred the boundaries between still life and landscape, inviting the viewer to a perception that transcends what is visible.
Abit Güner’s works have been exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions. While some of his exhibitions took place in Germany, he also shared his works with art lovers in Turkey in cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, and especially Trabzon. The exhibition “A Lifetime in the Footsteps of Colors,” held on the anniversary of his death in 2025, brought together Güner’s works and presented them to the audience, emphasizing the artist’s deep passion for the Black Sea and its colors.
Art Perspective;
Abit Güner's art is based on an aesthetic understanding rooted in the dialogue between color and nature. According to him, art is not only a technical skill but also the emotional expression of colors. While creating his still lifes and landscapes, he took care to ensure that each tone on his palette represented an emotion, and this approach made his works much more than ordinary visual representation.
In Güner's works, nature is presented in a way that transcends reality: Colors move away from a simple landscape depiction, creating an inner journey for the viewer. In this respect, his art contains both realism and hyperrealism; it combines mastery of detail with emotional intensity.
According to his artistic vision, a painting is not merely an imitation of what is seen, but an experience that recreates the viewer in the realm of color, emotion, and thought. This approach allows his works to forge a deep connection with the viewer, rekindling the passion for painting with each viewing.
Abit Güner holds a unique place in the art of painting in Trabzon and Turkey. He not only depicts the nature of the Black Sea and still life, but also brings the emotional and thought-provoking language of colors to the canvas. His approach, combining realism and hyperrealism, transforms his works into a visual feast and an inner journey for the viewer. The works he produced throughout his artistic life offer the viewer an experience that shares colors, emotions, and the secrets of nature. In this respect, Abit Güner is remembered as one of the pioneers of the figurative-hyperrealist synthesis in the history of Turkish painting. His legacy continues to inspire young generations of artists and convey the richness of visual arts in Turkey.
Selected Solo Exhibitions;
-1990 Trabzon State Fine Arts Gallery
-1991 Istanbul Üsküdar Municipality Altunizade Cultural Center
-1992 Trabzon İşbank Art Gallery
-1993 Trabzon Akbank Art Gallery
-1994 Ordu Fine Arts Gallery
-1994 Ankara Çankaya Municipality Art Gallery
-1995 Istanbul Ramko Art Gallery
-1996 Ankara Artium Art Gallery
-1997 Istanbul Garanti Bank Art Gallery
-1997 Ankara Ziraat Bank Art Gallery
-1998 Trabzon İşbank Art Gallery
-1999 Istanbul Galeri G
-1999 Istanbul Tolga Eti Art House
-2000 İzmir Leonardo Art Gallery
-2000 Ankara Galeri Selvin
-2000 Ankara N&S Art Gallery
-2001 Ankara Bilkent Art Gallery
-2002 Istanbul Kanat Beyazıt Art Gallery
-2002 Istanbul (TÜYAP) Art Fair Kanat Beyazıt Art Gallery
-2003 Trabzon Museum
-2004 Istanbul Kanat Beyazıt Art Gallery
-2004 Lütfü Kırdar Art Istanbul Art Fair (Ayda Art Gallery)
-2004 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2005 Istanbul Kanat Beyazıt Art Gallery
-2005 Trabzon State Fine Arts Gallery Abit Güner and Students Exhibition
-2006 Istanbul Kanat Beyazıt Art Gallery
-2006 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2006 Trabzon State Fine Arts Gallery Abit Güner and Students Exhibition
-2007 Istanbul Altunizade Culture and Art Center Abit Güner and Students Exhibition
-2008 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2008 Istanbul Cef Art Gallery
-2009 Istanbul Bakraç Art Gallery
-2010 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2011 Istanbul Doruk Art Gallery
-2012 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2013 Ordu Fine Arts Gallery
-2013 Istanbul Galeri İdil
-2014 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2014 Trabzon State Fine Arts Gallery Abit Güner and Students Exhibition
-2016 Ankara Sevgi Art Gallery
-2016 Istanbul Galeri İdil
-Between 1990 and 2014, she participated in 26 group exhibitions, mainly in Trabzon and Istanbul.
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